10 Years of Change
by Hawkelion
Summary: After graduation, Finn broke up with Rachel. After she moved to New York and got a new boyfriend, he stops contact with her altogether. It's ten years later, and suddenly Rachel's face has appeared to him again, and he'll do anything for her forgiveness.
1. Chapter One: Familiar Face

**Okay so here I go again, with my third attempt at a fanfiction. Few things before I let you start, unless of course you're skipping this authors note. First: I apologize in advance for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I fail at that. Second: I also apologize for any OOCness, though in my defense, this is set 11 years after the end of New York basically, so they've matured and stuff. Third: I've written this whole thing out in advance already. It's 93 pages on Word. I made sure I finished it before I published this time because I have serious issues finishing things and this time I just wanted to make sure I had the whole thing before getting people into it and then stopping. Fourth: The first few chapters are really kind of me just writing out where the characters ended up after high school, but they still have some good plot points in them. Anyways, without further ado, here's the first chapter. Hope you enjoy :D Sorry some of them are sorta short, but I'll be updating every day, so yeah.**

**Song: Who's That Chick- Rihanna (this is just a random song I have on repeat during each chapter, usually no relation to the actual writing)  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"Come on mom, do you really have to watch this celebrity stuff when I'm here?" Finn pleaded with his mother. She frowned at him as Burt sat on the couch next to her, wrapping his arm around his wife.<p>

"Finn when you're not working, you're here. I'm really getting sick of watching sports. We are going to watch something I want to tonight." she said, turning back to the television as if saying 'this discussion is over, you lose' and he knew it was, and that he had. Finn was 28 now, and though he did not live with his mother and step-father, he did frequent their house a lot. After High School had ended he had gone to a local college and after four years of struggling through classes, he had finally gotten his Bachelors in Automotive Technology. He worked in Burt's auto-repair shop, and was set to take it over when Burt wanted to retire. Finn felt his life was good, if not simple. Yet he still felt like he was just waiting for it to begin. He took a large sip of the beer he was drinking.

"_and in recent movie news, well known Broadway actress Rachel Berry has signed on to star in the movie adaptation of the famous Broadway play Wicked, which she currently stars in at the Gershwin Theater. Many fans have expressed their content, and feel this was a long time in the making. In other news-" Finn almost choked, ending in him having a fairly large spit take. This was the first he'd heard of Rachel after he'd lost contact with her a half a year or so after she'd moved to New York. How had he not known she'd become successful? Looking at her face for the brief moment it had filled the screen brought back a gut wrenching feeling he had thought was long forgotten.

"Wasn't that that girl you used to date in High School, Finn? You were really into her for awhile, weren't you?" Burt commented. Finn frowned deeply, but said nothing. His mom noticed his silence, and looking over saw some dark brooding emotion in her son's eyes. He hadn't had that look in almost 10 years.

"Finn, are you alright?" Carole asked. Finn looked at her blankly for a few seconds, then gave a stiff nod and a shrug. Suddenly, he stood up swiftly.

"I need to make a phone call, and it might take awhile. I'll see you tomorrow." he grumbled, giving them a backwards wave as he disappeared out of the room and out the door. Burt looked on curiously.

"What was that all about?" he asked his wife. Carole frowned.

"I'm not sure, but I think seeing that girl might have affected him a bit too much." she muttered. Burt grimaced, giving an understanding nod. He knew Finn had seemed to be missing something since he'd graduated. Maybe Finn had finally realized what that was.

* * *

><p><strong>One more thing i should state: If this story seems unbelievable to you, it's cuz I'm not good at romance. But if you DO like it PLEASE review. They make me happy :D<strong> **I ramble to much at 2 AM -_-**


	2. Chapter Two: Klaine

**Thank you so much to the people who have alerted this and reviewed. I hope I don't let you down :D Another short chapter, this one is Klaine's chapter. In advance I'd like to say all the couples in this are canon, as I don't like shipping random people, and though high school sweethearts ending up together is not exactly all that common, we're just going to go with it here. So yeah, here we go. And again I apologize for any glaring mistakes.  
><strong>

**Forgot this last time so... I OWN NOTHING! No matter how much I wish I did D:  
><strong>

**Song: Uptown Girl- Billy Joel  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"What do you mean 'do I still talk to her'? That's a rather silly question, don't you think? We are in the same business after all. We've even been in a few shows together." Kurt Hummel said rather loudly into his cell phone, trying to hear his step-brother over the streets of New York.<p>

"You never mentioned she'd made something of herself though! How was I supposed to know you've worked with her?" Finn growled. Kurt was not very happy with Finn's tone. He was beginning to sound almost possessive.

"You never asked. I don't know why this is my fault you don't know anything about her life for the past 10 years Finn, if I remember correctly, it was _you _who stopped contact with her when you heard she was dating that Landon guy. Not now Blaine, I'm on the phone." Kurt waved away his husband as he tried to hand him a croissant. Kurt, like Rachel, was a Broadway actor. He also had his own successful clothing and accessories line. He had married his long time boyfriend Blaine about two years ago. Blaine had moved out to New York with Kurt just as he had promised, and had become a rather famous sportscaster.

"I didn't halt contact! I just…. I couldn't talk to her after that. She betrayed my trust." Finn said stubbornly. Kurt scowled on the other end.

"Excuse me? Listen Finn, _you_ broke up with _her_ at the end of senior year. You told her you couldn't leave mom and dad, and that a long distance relationship just wouldn't work for you. When you did that you gave up all rights to her. She had every right to start seeing other people. You did! Or are only you allowed to move on, and she's just supposed to sit around waiting for you to come running back to her while life passes her by? We both know Rachel has never been that kind of person, and though she's mellowed considerably now, she's still not one to wait for anyone if it means sacrificing her dream." Kurt ranted. Blaine looked nervously at the angry pedestrians, clearly ticked at his husband's needlessly loud voice. He tried to nudge Kurt to give him a warning to be quiet, but was met with another hand wave of dismissal. The line was silent for several minutes, and Kurt began to wonder if the call had been dropped, when he heard a shaky breath, and Kurt half expected some sob fest of despair over how he'd screwed up.

"Fine." was what he got instead. Kurt almost stopped in his tracks, before he remembered where he was, and that he needed to be where he was going or he would be late.

"_Fine_? That's it? You throw a fit and all you have to say after my eloquent speech is _fine_?" Kurt berated. He could almost hear Finn shrug back at him.

"I was out of line, I'm sorry. If you see her soon, could you tell her I said congratulations?" Finn asked. Kurt swore he heard something forced in his whole tone, but he couldn't really call the other man out, as he was not face to face with him.

"I might. We'll see, I don't know if she needs to really be reminded of you at a time like this." Kurt said. Finn grumbled on the other line.

"Fine, whatever. Talk to ya later, or something." Finn spat.

"Be sure to tell mom and dad I love them!" Kurt said, rushed, as the man on the other end clicked his phone shut. When Kurt snapped his phone closed, pocketing it, he realized he and Blaine were already at their destination, a large Upper East Side condominium. He graciously took the croissant Blaine had offered earlier, and moved up the outer steps to one of the higher placed condos, knocking lightly on the familiar door as he reached the top of the stairs.

* * *

><p><strong>Most of the next chapters are like this, with a look into old New Directions members as Finn drills them for information on Rachel, just a warning in advance.<strong> **Reviews are much appreciated :D**


	3. Chapter Three: Santitany

**I want to thank all of you SO much for the reviews and alerts and favorites and stuff. This story has already done better than my other two despite them having quite a few more chapters published, so this really means a lot to me. Since this one is so short, and you've all been really great, I'll probably be uploading another chapter in a hour or so. But yeah, this one took me awhile to decide on because I wasn't sure I'd go with Artie or Santana ending up with Brittany. In the end I went with Santana, because I like her more than I do Artie. Although I love all the characters, just some more than others. Anyways, another thing I should say, I LOVE actor allusion, and I kind of abuse it in this story, so keep an eye out for things like that :P And I went with the official Brittany/Santana name from the show just for the heck of it. Anyways, here's chapter 3.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own D: It breaks my heart but it's true...**

**Song: Be Good To Me- Ashley Tisdale**

* * *

><p>"I just got a Facebook message from that Finn guy from High School…." the blonde woman said from the bedroom door. The sassy Latino yawned before sitting up in the bed.<p>

"Old Frankenteen? What did he want?" she asked, her eyebrow quirking, moving to the master bathroom with a set of clothes to get ready for the day.

"He was asking about Rachel Berry. Wanted to know if we knew what she was doing these days. I thought I was the stupid one…?" the blonde woman said, approaching the bed and beginning to make it. Santana had often told her the maid would do that, but she either didn't listen or was just too nice.

"You're not stupid, Britt. But it is weird he wouldn't know. I mean I thought we all knew. She made it her business to make sure we knew for awhile there." Santana wondered. She thought him, of all people, would know what was going in the Broadway stars life. Berry had kept in touch with Santana indirectly through Brittany, though the spicy Latina had found after a few years that after both she and Berry had done some mellowing out, they'd gotten along much better than they ever had in High School. Of course, Brittany and Santana lived on the other side of the country, in Seattle, Washington, where Santana had become a successful real estate agent and Brittany had become a surprisingly good veterinarian, specializing in felines. Still, they kept in contact with Berry, and most of the rest of the glee club through Facebook and texting. Brittany tried for a few seconds to shoo the small kitten she'd adopted, Lady Tubbs in memory of her now deceased favorite pet, from atop the bed covers, but after being largely unsuccessful, plopped down next to the small tabby instead.

"I thought they used to be in love, or something. I mean, me and you are still dating, Kurt and Blaine are married, and so are Tina and Mike. I used to think those two would end up the ones with the happily ever after ending, you know? Kinda sad they didn't work out." Brittany said glumly. Santana emerged from the bathroom clothed in her real estate attire, and went to sit next to her girlfriend of 9 years. She saw that this really troubled Britt for some reason, and reassuringly placed her hand on the other woman's knee.

"You never know Britt, they're still young. It could still happen." Santana said, smiling. The blonde pet doctor smiled back, giving Santana a small peck on the lips.

"I sure hope so." Brittany said.

* * *

><p><strong>Gonna just tell you now, next up is Quinn and it's also really short. I might consider publishing 3 chapters today because of that, we'll see. Anyways, reviews are amazing :D<strong>


	4. Chapter four: Quinn

**Again thank you EVERYONE for the reviews and stuff. I decided I'm gonna post three chapters today because I'm in a really good mood, to make up for the EXTREME shortness of this one. A few things you should know before reading this: I do not own a cellphone, I might be one of the only 17 year old who doesn't, I don't know. I do text, but I have an iPod keyboard to help me, so text speak is something a bit foreign to me and frankly I hate it. Soooo yeah. This chapter is** **in text format, but lacks any L337 speak or wtf omg or lols. Sorry. It does contain intentional spelling mistakes. Anywho, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I did not require any rights to Glee in the last few hours.**

**Song: Telephone- Glee Cast  
><strong>

* * *

><p>** Text From Finn Hudson**<p>

View Now?

Yes

To: Quinn Fabray

From: Finn Hudson

Hey Quinn.

- What is it Finn? In the middle of wedding recital.

- you're getting married? O_o

- Not for me. Wedding planner, remember?

- o, rite.

- Get to the point Finn.

- have you been in touch with Rachel lately?

- Why is that any of your business?

- just wondering.

- Yes. I was set to plan her wedding 5 years back.

- she's married?

- Key word is I WAS scheduled. She called it off a few months before.

- that Landon guy?

- None of your business.

- so you knew she was a star too?

- Your probably the only one who didn't.

- I seriusly doubt that.

- Fine, don't take my word for it.

- maybe I won't. so how's wedding planning in NJ going?

- Very good. You'd be surprised how many people actually want to get married these days.

- yeah, how crazy is that?

- Pretty crazy. Finn I really need to go. Talk to you later?

- sure, call me anytime. :D

- Will do.

* * *

><p><strong>Next Chapter is Chang Squared, it'll be up in a few hours after I take a Tylenol and eat my pizza. Reviews are appreciated :D<strong>


	5. Chapter Five: Chang Squared

**Third chapter of the day. Only 3 more until the real plot gets underway. So anyways, this is Tina and Mike's chapter. First signs of actor allusion :D I really have nothing to say here, I'm all bummed because they forgot the pineapple on my pizza, and I wasn't gonna tell the delivery lady they got it wrong cuz I don't wanna make them go ALL the way back and fix it. Now I'm just rambeling, who cares about my food problems? ENJOY!  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee or ANY of it's characters D:**

**Song: Drops of Jupiter- Train**

* * *

><p>"Mike, who are you texting? I need help grading these book reports." Tina called from the den in their small house in Los Angeles, California. They had moved there about 5 years ago after having gotten married, when Mike had gotten a job helping with choreography for a local musical TV show. Tina was a 6th grade English teacher, and also helped the school choir on the side.<p>

"It's Finn. Brittany warned me he'd been asking around about if people knew about Rachel being a big time Broadway star, I guess it's our turn." Mike said from the kitchen. Tina gave a humorless laugh.

"Figures he'd get bent out of shape when he found out. I'm surprised it took him so long." she said back, marking a kid off for spelling 'funny' wrong." Mike walked in and took a seat next to her.

"What should I tell him?" he asked, starring at his phone with a frown.

"The truth. That she talks to me all the time and your taking a break from your choreographing that high school show to work on the choreography for the movie she's in. You could even throw in the fact she guest starred on the show a few times." Tina said in a bored tone, this time deducting points for the child's misuse of a certain four letter word.

"Isn't that a little insensitive? I don't need him getting mad at me." Mike said, trying to avoid confrontation. Tina shrugged.

"How is it insensitive? It's not like your helping her cheat on him or something. He hasn't been her boyfriend in a long time Mike." Tina said, putting down her red pen for a moment to turn her full attention to her husband.

"Yeah but…" Mike started, but trailed off.

"But what, Mike? You're afraid he'll hate you because you spend more time with her then he has in years? It's his own fault, so if he gets angry, than he can suck it." she told her husband bluntly. Mike smirked. His wife did have a point, the fact that he and Tina saw Rachel probably the most often besides Kurt and maybe Quinn, was only because Rachel often had business in LA and made it a point to stop by her old high school friends' house, even if she wasn't working with Mike on anything at the time.

"Yeah, okay, your right. I'll just tell him the truth. If he starts ranting though, you're gonna be the one replying to it." Mike said, typing in his response. Tina shrugged.

"Fine, but only if you put that stupid phone down for a bit and help me with these ingrates book reports. This one misspelled 'you'…" she complained. Mike chuckled quietly to himself, and slid to the floor in front of the coffee table, picking up an extra red pen and taking one of the projects from the pile.

"Deal." he muttered, giving Tina a soft kiss before turning to the paper in front of him, immediately marking it off for misspelling the title of the book.

* * *

><p><strong>Next is Artie, with Puck visiting his buddy. That'll be out tomorrow moring or early afternoon, depending on how I feel when I wake up. Reviews are much loved. :D<strong>


	6. Chapter Six: Mercedes

**I lied I thought this was gonna Puck and Artie, but I forgot I hadn't even put up Mercedes yet... Sooo yeah. I'm tired, and have church in a bit so I'm just gonna let you get to it. Enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. If I did Rachel would not get that much shit from people :/**

**Song: I Will Always Love You- Whitney Houston**

* * *

><p>HellToTheNo has signed in.<p>

FinnyD: Hey Cedes!

HellToTheNo: Oh, I guess it's my turn.

FinnyD: Um, what?

HellToTheNo: Cut to the chase Finn, you want to ask if I've been in touch with Rachel.

FinnyD: Well, yeah. But how did you know?

HellToTheNo: We might not be in High School anymore, but word still travels fast among us former glee clubbers.

FinnyD: I should've guessed. So…..

HellToTheNo: Yes, I talk to her a lot. I made my career as an R&B artist in LA, but I frequent New York, especially on tours. I try to hang out with her and Kurt as much as possible when I'm there. I've even been to a few of her and Kurt's shows.

FinnyD: Shows? Just how many has she been in?

HellToTheNo: You're really that out of the loop? Well, she scored her first part a few weeks after you stopped talking to her, actually, in that one show, Les Mis. Then she played a chick named Wendla in Spring Awakening. Kurt was actually in that with her, and so was Jesse St. James. Finally, she got the role of Elphaba in Wicked, and she's been doing that for the last 2 years. She's guest starred on a few TV shows too, you know, but I think most of them were family dramedies, nothing sports related.

FinnyD: She was in a play with Jesse? What did that involve?

HellToTheNo: Why don't you Google Spring Awakening? Anyways, why are you doing this?

FinnyD: Doing what?

HellToTheNo: Asking everyone else about her except her directly. If you want to know so badly why don't you call her yourself?

FinnyD: Yeah, like she'd ever want to talk to me again.

HellToTheNo: Rachel's a lot of things, Finn, but she isn't one to hold grudges. Plus knowing her she probably thinks your lack of contact is her fault.

FinnyD: I seriously doubt that.

HellToTheNo: Whatever Finn, be a coward for all I care. But I'm done talking to you about her.

FinnyD: Fine. Thanks for what information you did give me. Talk to you some other time.

HellToTheNo: Only if it's about something other than her.

FinnyD: Whatever.

* * *

><p><strong>NEXT is Puck and Artie. Yeah. That'll be up after church is over. Reviews are loved.<strong>


	7. Chapter Seven: Artie and Puck

**Think this one is the longest chapter yet... I'll have another one up at like 3 maybe. Thanks for the alerts and stuff. I think I'm already contemplating a new story. I hate when my brain does this to me D: Don't get me wrong inspiration rocks, but jeez Glee isn't one story enough for you? Me and my mom are suddenly sponsoring a 15 year old in India. His name's Lowrence, which is freaking awesome, I love that name. Anywho I'm rambling now, so, enjoy  
><strong>

**Disclaimer: Oh Glee, how I wish thou were mine. But thou art not. Damn.**

**Song: Animal- Def Lepard**

* * *

><p>"Who dis be?" Artie Abrams said into his phone.<p>

"Hey Artie, it's me, Finn." Finn said, trying to sound nonchalant.

"Oh, hey bro! It's been forever since we've talked for real. Hey, Puck's here too, want me to put it on speaker?" Artie said, waving at his visiting friend to come over. He was currently in the rehearsal area for the band he played lead guitar in, but his band mates had stepped out for awhile, and Artie had decided to stay so he could catch up with Puck, who was on leave from his job as a drill sergeant at Camp Summit Boot Camp in Indiana and had decided to visit Artie in Chicago since it was only a state away. Artie was not only a guitarist in a band, but also a well known music video director.

"Well, yeah okay I guess that'd be better, I have to ask you both the same question anyways." Finn responded.

"Sup?" Puck said casually. He didn't seem like much of a drill sergeant out of uniform, but in it he could be one of the scariest guys alive.

"Finn wants to ask us about Rachel. I'm putting it on speaker." Artie responded. Puck quirked an eyebrow, but didn't bother to ask any questions as Artie pushed the speaker button.

"Okay Finn, you're on. What do you want to ask?" Artie asked, even though he was already sure of what the question was.

"You don't have to pretend you don't know what I'm gonna ask Artie, Mercedes already told me everyone knows what I'm up to." Finn shot back. Artie laughed. Puck looked thoroughly confused.

"Wait, what am I missing here?" he asked. He didn't get much technology use since he was usually drilling delinquent boys for most of his hours, so he hadn't had time to hear from his other High School buddies about anything.

"Finn recently discovered Rachel became a huge Broadway star when he learned she was making it on the big screen soon, so he flipped and has been calling up all of us old homies to see what dirt we have on her." Artie explained. Finn was about to object to the way Artie had put that, but was cut off by Puck.

"You just now found this out? Dude she made it almost immediately, have you been living under a rock?" Puck asked. Finn let out something that sounded like a girl.

"We had… a disagreement 10 years back. I haven't really taken it upon myself to keep up with her since then." Finn grumbled.

"Then why're you so steamed about not knowing her business when you made it your business not to know hers?" Puck argued. Finn was silent for a moment. Then he asked something he'd been meaning to since his talk with Quinn.

"Why didn't she go through with the marriage?" Finn asked. Puck glanced at Artie, who shook his head.

"I, uh, heard it was over… artistic differences. He, um… he was jealous of… her fame and stuff. And insisted she quit acting. Yeah." Artie made up quickly, recalling a flick he had been forced to watch with Rachel one night where the man had divorced his wife because she was more successful and famous than him.

"Seriously? They were dating for how many years? Was he stupid or something, what made him think he could get in the way of her dream?" Finn asked. Artie snorted, glad Finn had fallen for the lie.

"Right, yeah. You'd think he'd have known by then. Um, anyways, my bands gonna be back soon and we have to get ready for a big performance tonight. So yeah, later Finn." Artie said hurriedly. Puck gave a short goodbye too, and Artie hung up the phone abruptly before Finn could respond.

"Do you think we maybe should've said something there?" Artie asked Puck. Puck shook his head.

"Far as I'm concerned he doesn't deserve to know. Plus none of us know the full extent of it except Quinn and Kurt. And Probably Blaine by extension. So we're not at liberty to say anything anyways." Puck reassured his handicapable friend. Artie gave a small smile before heading over to his guitar.

* * *

><p><strong>Not much to say here, I've got homework I gotta do for US Government... so yeah. Next chapter is Lauren. Review please :D<strong>


	8. Chapter Eight: Lauren

**And yet another short chapter :D I really don't know if they get longer, I haven't bothered to count really, but hey at least I update often right? Getting ready to watch the Emmy's. I've never watched them before, but i figure, Jane Lynch is hosting it so why the hell not? Anywho, I MAY put up the last of the "where are they now" chapters now, we'll see. Then tomorrow we can finally see some of Rachel, gasp. And to laylita83, wondering why she didn't get married. That's actually not gonna come up until towards the END of this fic, so yeah... But foreshadowing is your friend in this :D Right, so, ENJOY.**

**Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I totally suddenly own Glee, that's why I work for my mom and don't even have my own car or cellphone. NOT  
><strong>

**Song: Party Rock Anthem- LMFAO (stuck in my head FOREVER now)  
><strong>

"Miss Zizes? There's a guy calling your cell phone saying he needs to speak to you." said the short and scrawny man that was Lauren Zizes assistant.

"Name?" she drawled.

"One Finn Hudson?" the man said, unsure. Lauren grunted, motioning for him to give her phone, which he immediately did, scurrying off once it was in her hand.

"Make this quick Hudson, I've got a casting call I need to be at in half an hour and I'm going over the script right now to make sure I've perfected it." she said, flipping through a large script, large letters on the cover reading 'Wicked'.

"I'm sure you know what I'm calling for." he retaliated. Lauren smirked.

"Indeed. If you must know, I have seen her around Los Angeles, and will be seeing her soon in the next year after we finish preparations for Wicked." she said, getting straight to the point.

"Wait, you're the one directing it?" Finn asked. Lauren had become a big time director after graduating from college, and lived in Burbank, California.

"Oh, no. I'm producing this one." she corrected.

"So that means you do… what exactly?" Finn asked. Lauren sighed at his serious lack of common knowledge.

"I adapt the script, pick the director, cast the characters with the director's help, secure the finances, and other very important things." she explained slowly, as if talking to a baby. Finn grunted appreciatively.

"Whatever. So then you knew too." he said stupidly. She rolled her eyes.

"I've pretty much made that clear Hudson. Now I have to go, you're keeping me from my work. Later." she said, snapping the phone closed with a snap. Seconds later her assistant reappeared and took her phone, leaving her flipping through the final pages of the script alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Still think Lea should've been nominated... Well I'm happy for all the other nominations, and Jane Lynch hosting is gonna kick ass. Reviews are fantastical. Still procrastinating my Government homework .<strong>


	9. Chapter Nine: Mr Schuester

**Watched the Emmy's. Jane was fabulous. Glee didn't win, that sucks D: Oh well, life goes on. Plus, at LEAST Maggie Smith won, I don't care if she wasn't there she WON.** **This, as you no doubt can tell, is 's chapter, and also the last one before we finally get a look at 28 year old Rachel. This also has some actual plot point in it, wonder of wonders! Without further delay, enjoy!**

** Disclaimer: Glee is not mine, and unless some miracle happens, never will be.**

**Song: Time Warp- Rocky Horror Picture Show (It's just a jump to the left...)**

* * *

><p>"So your assignment for the week is to come up with a song by Train that you feel best fits you, and perform it during the week. And yes, you can partner up for this." Mr. Schuster explained. The bright eyed glee clubbers smiled, and all respectively left the classroom as practice ended for the day. Will was still a Spanish teachershow choir director at William McKinley High School, and he still loved his job. About 8 years ago he had finally married Emma Pillsbury, and 5 years ago they had had their first child. Life was good for the Schuester. He looked up from going through some sheet music when he heard a light knock on the door, and was met with the sight of Finn Hudson, no longer gawky teenager but full grown man.

"Well, if it isn't Finn Hudson, one of the original New Directions members!" Will exclaimed, grinning, pulling the taller man into a hug.

"Hey Mr. Schue, how's it going?" Finn said, grinning despite himself. He'd been in a pretty foul mood lately, and his mom was getting worried because he hadn't visited in at least a week.

"Fantastic Finn! After you guys won Nationals when you were seniors things have gotten so much better for the glee club. Oh, and my kid is doing great too. He turns 5 next week!" Mr. Schue proclaimed, his face glowing happily.

"That's great to hear." Finn said, and he did mean it. But he hadn't come here to hear about his old teacher's personal life. He'd come to hear about someone else's personal life.

"So what brings you here Finn?" Will asked. Finn swallowed, not sure how to go about asking this.

"You remember Rachel, right?" Finn asked. Mr. Schue grinned even wider.

"Remember her? It's hard to forget her when she sends me regular postage. She likes to send me a lot of thank you presents for 'helping jumpstart her career'." Schuester said, reflecting fondly. Finn frowned. Even their old teacher knew about her exploits.

"Does she really? How nice of her." Finn said, his tone flat and emotionless. Will's eyes seemed to light up with an idea.

"Yeah, in fact the last thing she sent me was tickets to the last performance of her show next month! You know, I can't actually go, since I have work, and I can't just leave Emma with Matthew. Here's an idea, how about _you_ go?" Will said excitedly. He saw the look of shock pass Finn's face.

"M-me? I can't do that! I mean I have to watch my parents, and I doubt she would want me going!" Finn tried desperately to get out of it. Will shook his head.

"Then just surprise her!" he said like it was that simplest thing in the world. Finn wondered if Mr. Schue knew about him and Rachel's relationship, or lack thereof.

"But… I haven't even spoken to her in nearly 10 years, Mr. Schue. I can't just appear out of the blue like that after ignoring her and her life for so long. She must hate me." Finn said, and he sounded almost broken. Mr. Schue suddenly became very serious very fast.

"So all the more reason to go out there and try to fix it, then. Listen I heard you'd stopped talking to her because of that other boy, and I won't deny that I was disappointed by it. But I'm giving you a chance to fix something that's been 10 years in the making. And you and I both know Rachel could _never_ hate you." he reassured the younger man. Finn's demeanor seemed to grow stronger throughout the short pep talk, and by the end he looked determined.

"You know what? You're right. I was stupid for ignoring her just because she'd moved on. I'm not going to go out there to woo her, though that would be nice, I'm going out there to regain her friendship. Because she's a friend worth having and I really screwed up not seeing that." Finn said, a fire in his brown eyes. Will smiled.

"Good for you. Stop by tomorrow and I'll give you the tickets. There are two of them, so try and find someone to take with you, huh? For moral support." Will said, patting Finn on the back.

"Sure thing. Thanks a lot Mr. Schue." Finn said happily. They both waved goodbye as they stepped into the hallway together, both heading their separate ways.

* * *

><p><strong>If you couldn't tell by now, I REALLY love Train. My all time favorite band right there. Anyways, next chapter we see Rachel in New York.<strong> **Lea Michele really owned the red carpet tonight. I was watching the red carpet thing and they cut to her like 4 different times. God I love her... Right, anyways, review please! Next chapter up tomorrow afternoon or morning, we'll see.**


	10. Chapter Ten: Banter Over Coffee

**Well here's the first Rachel sighting chapter! Hurray! Thanks for the reviews and alerts, seriously they make my day. Started a new Glee fic a few hours ago, that I have no idea where I'm going with and I curse Glee for being so damn inspiring D: Some more Kurt and Blaine here as well. Uh... yeah. So anyways, enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: It is redundant for me to keep stating that I don't own Glee but yeah, I don't. (You're redundant.) Shhh!**

**Song: Any Way You Want It- Journey**

* * *

><p>"Don't you think we should maybe tell her he's been asking about her?" Blaine asked his husband as they waited in a small coffee shop for the petite brunette they were speaking of.<p>

"No, no, I don't think that's a good idea. If he hasn't contacted her himself then she doesn't need to know. No reason to get her upset over nothing." Kurt dismissed him. Blaine frowned, but found he agreed with Kurt. Finn had never been a good subject to bring up around the drama queen. There was no knowing how she'd react to any mention of him, as it had ranged from bursting into tears to ranting for a good half hour at the top of her lungs. They'd learned long ago to just not mention the man at all. Rachel seemed content to suppress all memories of her first love. Kurt stood suddenly and waved over the brunette who had just entered the coffee shop. She smiled, and headed towards them. They had already ordered her usual hot beverage for her, so she didn't bother going to the counter to order anything, making a beeline for them.

"Hello there you two!" she said cheerfully, sitting down and taking a sip of the still steaming cup of coffee with rice milk in front of her. Kurt gave Blaine a meaningful glance when she looked away briefly to place her handbag at her feet, and Blaine nodded back, understanding what Kurt was telling him not to say.

"So, how was your show last night?" Kurt asked casually. Rachel smiled brilliantly.

"Fantastic! I've been in that show for 2 years now, but every night it's like my first performance all over again, you know?" she gushed. Kurt smiled.

"Yes, I know the feeling well." he said appreciatively.

"So, are you sad tomorrow will be your last performance?" Blaine questioned. Rachel smile dropped a bit at the question.

"Well, yes. I mean it's always difficult to leave a show. But I'll still be working on it, just in a different media. I know it won't be the same as getting that thrill whenever you're on stage in front of all of those people every night, but it's going to be a very satisfactory feeling knowing finally those who can't afford a ticket or don't have the time can see the amazing play outside the theatre. So yes, leaving is hard, but I'm also glad in a sense too." she said. Afterwards she took a large gulp of her coffee. They all gave a little jump when the first verse of Blackbird played; indicating Kurt had received a text. He reached into his coat pocket, and whipped it out, about to hit ignore when he saw it was from Finn. Curious, he opened the text, taking a swig of his Grande nonfat mocha. Only to choke on it two seconds later after reading the text.

"Kurt! Are you okay?" Blaine said, moving to help his husband. Kurt slapped his hands away, waving him off, swallowing correctly this time.

"It's nothing, just went down the wrong way." he rasped, quickly typing a response to the text into his phone before putting it on mute and stuffing it back into his coat.

"Who was that from?" asked Rachel, looking at him with a quirked eyebrow. Kurt took another quick swig of his drink before answering her.

"It was Mercedes. She was texting me a joke." he lied. Rachel regarded him suspiciously. He knew it was a terrible lie but he couldn't say it was Finn, and he couldn't think of anything else off the top of his head. But he also knew Rachel wasn't buying it. Blaine seemed to sense Kurt needed an escape.

"Kurt, don't you have an appointment with that magazine photographer in half an hour?" Blaine asked. Kurt grabbed at it and ran with it.

"Yes, of course! How could I forget? I'm sorry to bail early Rachel, I am, but I need to be there, they're considering using my clothes on their cover page!" he said hurriedly, standing quickly, grabbing his mocha, and promptly leaving the store, giving a backwards wave as he rushed out of the door. He flagged down the nearest cab and gave him the address to his and Blaine's apartment. As the can began to move he took out the cell phone, rereading the text that had been sent to him.

To: Kurt Hummel

From: Finn Hudson

Hey bro! I just got to New York. I have a huge favor to ask you…

* * *

><p><strong>Y'know originally I actually had Rachel's coffee as a vanilla soy latte, which I had to look up because I don't know the first thing about coffee let alone vegan coffee. But then Lea randomly tweets her coffee order, so I changed it. And of course that's Kurt's actual coffee order in story, so yeah. Blech I hate coffee D: Reviews make me update faster. Ha, what a total lie I update regardless.<strong>


	11. Chapter Eleven: Final Performance

**Considering how terribly short this is, the next one will be out as soon as I finish my art homework. Anyways, thanks for the reviews and everything. Not much to say today... I was stuck at the library today, I kind of live there with the amount of time I spend there. I've been helping them set up a Gleek Club there downstairs in the teen/children's section.** **It doesn't even start till thursday, but whatever. Who else is f***ing excited for the season 3 premier tomorrow?**** I know I am, though I won't be able to actually watch it tomorrow night cuz of rehearsals D: Oh well, my grandpa is recording it so it's all good.** **Rambling again, so uh, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: NONE OF THE AMAZING CHARACTERS OR LOCATIONS OR ORIGINAL IDEAS ARE MINE! D: I do, however, own the plot.**

**Song: What Is This Feeling?- Wicked Original Broadway Cast**

* * *

><p>"Kurt? What are you doing here?" Rachel exclaimed, earning her a glare from the makeup artist who was working diligently to make her face a shade of vibrant green. Kurt gave her a reassuring smile.<p>

"The guard knows me, he let me in when I said I was coming to wish you good luck. I figured I'd surprise you on your last night." he explained. Rachel smiled brilliantly.

"Oh how sweet of you! You have no idea how much this means to me Kurt!" she said happily. Her talking earned her another glare from her makeup artist. Half of her face was already covered in the paint. Kurt shrugged.

"A lot, I'm sure. But that's not the point. Are you ready to go out there and knock 'em dead?" he asked. Rachel gave him her best 'game face'.

"You know it." she stated. Kurt laughed at her.

"Good, I'll be in the audience waiting to be wowed. Unfortunately, I won't be meeting up with you afterwards. But you'll have to tell me everything tomorrow." he said. Rachel got the feeling he wasn't just talking about the play, but decided not to dwell on it.

"Trust me, when I'm done tonight you'll all be in such awe your jaws will be stuck, wide open, for eternity." she joked. Kurt rolled his eyes, but laughed all the same.

"I'm sure you will, my little drama queen. Well, I'd better get out before your makeup artist murders me. See ya out there, Rachel. Break a leg." he said, moving to exit. Rachel gave him a small 'thank you' as he left and he smiled and nodded, but Rachel swore she could see an almost apprehensive look in his eyes as he shut the door behind him. And suddenly something in her gut told her something big was going to happen tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah, gotta go do my art stuff. Yay for giant texture drawings. I'll be watching the premier of 2 Broke Girls tonight, cuz my best friend told me it reminded her of Wicked in a way, and watching the trailer I can kind of see what she's getting at. And I love me that kind of story line. Hopefully it'll be good. Who knows. Anyways, new chapter up really soonish, since I finished most of my art in class. Unless I have to eat dinner or something. Review pretty please :D<strong>


	12. Chapter Twelve: Face To Face

**What is this? A chapter over 1000 words? MADNESS! Great now I have that song from Final Fantasy X-2 stuck in my head. Anyways, Finn and Rachel finally come in contact for the first time in 10 years! Will things be happy, sad, tense? Well you could just read it I guess. Because this chapter is actually moderately sized for once I may not upload anymore today. We shall see. ANYWAYS... Enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: It's amazing, but Glee does not belong to me.**

**Song: Pretending- Glee Cast (this one actually influenced something! The CHAPTER TITLE! *GASP*)**

* * *

><p>"That was fabulous, Rachel." Kevin told her proudly. She smiled back at him. He was the current Fiyero, so of course Rachel had been working closely with him for a while. Erin, the current Glinda, smiled happily next to him and nodded profusely. Rachel continued to wipe the last of the green makeup from her hairline.<p>

"Thanks so much guys. I'm so glad I got to work with you." she said sincerely. She was sad to leave, she was, but she was also elated for the opportunity this was providing her. She finished the last of the makeup, and began to grab her things, so she could exit through the stage doors to the crowd of devoted fans who waited out there for over an hour to see the cast every night. For her last night at the Gershwin. Suddenly a knock sounded at her door.

"Ms. Berry? There's a man here who wants to see you. He claims Kurt Hummel got him a backstage pass and he won't go away. What should I do?" one of the stage hands called through the door. Erin raised an eyebrow. Rachel wondered who in the world it could be. She didn't want to be rude… but at the same time she was keeping the fans waiting. She turned to her now former co-stars.

"You two go on ahead. I'll be out when I take care of whomever that guy is." she said to them. They tried to argue a bit, but in the end agreed, and left her room, turning right. Rachel exited too, turning back to look at the room for possibly her last time ever. She took a deep breath, and closed it slowly, leaning her forehead against the cool wood of the door after it was closed.

"Are you always so dramatic when you leave a show?" said a voice to her right. Rachel froze. It couldn't be. His voice was a bit deeper, and gruffer, but it was still unmistakable to her, even after all these years. She didn't want to turn her head, didn't want to face him. She wasn't ready for this, she'd had no preparation. What would she do? She couldn't do this, she just… She took a deep breath, reigning in her swirling emotions. She reminded herself of the fact he had abandoned their friendship due to pettiness. She didn't have to be friendly with him; in fact it would be better… easier, even, if she weren't. Putting on a look of cold indifference, she turned toward him. She was lucky she'd had years of acting training, because otherwise she'd have been stuck starring like a wide eyed doe about to be hit by a car.

"Finn. What brings you here?" she asked coolly, trying to sound disinterested. Finn had a look of hardly contained awe on his face, but at the tone of her voice, and the look on her face, he became noticeably more deflated. And whatever resolve he'd had before had jumped out the window.

"I heard it was your last show tonight so I thought I'd… okay that's a terrible lie. Honestly? I'm here to beg forgiveness." he spilled. Rachel couldn't stop herself from looking momentarily shocked.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her voice a tone of disbelief.

"Look, Rachel. I'm gonna be honest and tell you I didn't even know you were this successful until about a month or so ago. And I got upset I didn't know, so I asked everyone in our old glee club if they knew, and of course they all do because even though it's been 10 years we're still all in touch. Well, except me and you. And I realized that there was no reason for that. When I stopped talking to you, I was jealous, and being juvenile and a total douche bag. I was angry you'd moved on from me so easily. But when a year went by, I was over it a bit. But I didn't call because I thought, 'What if she hates me now? What if she refuses to talk to me because I was such an ass?' and I decided that being a coward and playing it safe instead of taking a chance to regain our friendship was the much better choice. So then another year went by, and another, and eventually I deleted your number altogether and decided I didn't ever want to think about you again, because not only had I lost you, but I'd lost your friendship, which is a really valuable thing. And I succeeded in not knowing anything about you, up until a month ago. And when I heard all our old friends talking about how you'd always stayed in touch with them, some more than others, and had even almost gotten married without me ever knowing? I hated that I hadn't been a part of any of it. I can't stand that I don't know anything about your life anymore, Rachel. I'm not here to try to sweep you of your feet, I'm here to gain your forgiveness, and maybe even regain a place in your life as a friend." Finn gushed. Throughout this Rachel kept her expression guarded and unemotional, but she couldn't deny the fact that deep in her soul, he was melting a part of her that had long been frozen in ice. And she liked that. And it scared her that she liked it. When Finn finally finished his little rant, she didn't trust herself to speak. She thought it was incredibly sweet he had flown out to New York to give her an apology in person, but at the same time she felt the pain that she had felt when she realized he wasn't ever going to talk to her again. It was like a part of her soul had been torn off and she didn't know if anything he could do would ever fix it. But she wasn't going to be so cold that she wouldn't let him try. She wasn't that kind of person.

"You want to earn my forgiveness, you say?" she reiterated, summing up pretty much his entire speech in one sentence. He nodded.

"Yes, absolutely. More than anything." he whispered. Rachel gave him a stony glare, and held it for about a minute, making him squirm. Finally, her lip curled up ever slightly, which Finn caught, and his eyes filled with hope.

"Well, I'm afraid that's going to take a lot of time and effort on your part. But you can start by escorting me through the crowd of overzealous fans out there." she stated. Finn broke out into a wide grin.

"Of course. I've always wanted to try being a bodyguard." he joked. Rachel couldn't help but let out a faint giggle, before hitting him with another pointed glare, this one ever so slightly less accusatory and stony than the others had been.

"Hop to it then, bodyguard." she said, motioning for him to lead the way to the stage doors, laughing as he jumped when the large amounts of squeals and screaming came blasting through as soon as she stepped through the stage doors with him. She watched him stare at the moderately sized crowd, looking very intimidated.

"Having second thoughts?" she quipped, and for some reason her voice dripped with venom. Finn looked at her, and his expression turned from panic to hard determination in 3 seconds flat.

"Never." he replied.

* * *

><p><strong>So Kevin would be Kevin Kern, and Erin would be Erin Mackey, since those are the two I saw on Broadway January before last. Didn't want to make up people, so I just went with them. I think Erin Mackey's my favorite Galinda right behind Kristin, s'yeah. This isn't a Wicked fanfic Hawk, shutup about it jeez. Reviews are loved :D<strong>


	13. Chapter Thirteen: For Her

**Here's the final chapter for today. :D This puts us on page 33 of 93 pages, so this will def be all out at least by the end of the week. Hurray :D Like I said, I'm already working on anther story, no relation to this one. But like this one I don't plan on publishing it until if and when I finish it.** **Thanks for the reviews, they really do make my day. WITHOUT further ado, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Glee. Not mine. Ugah.**

**Song: Cell Block Tango- Chicago (He ran into my knife. He ran into my knife ten times.)**

* * *

><p>"So, anything interesting happen last night?" Kurt asked, trying to sound flippant, to preserve his innocence. Rachel fixed him with a pointed glare in the mirror as he watched her brush out the last few tangles in her hair. He had come over to her house early, as they were going shopping that day for some new clothing, Rachel had found many of her outfits worn out, and fading, and Kurt of course still didn't trust her in picking her own clothing even though her taste in fashion had become considerably better in the past 10 years. Still, he always tagged along with her to make sure she didn't slip and buy some awful animal sweater.<p>

"Don't play innocent Kurt, I can see right through your crap. You knew Finn was going to be there last night. Hell, you probably orchestrated him being there." she snapped at him. Kurt cursed the fact they'd known each other to long and could tell when one another were lying. They'd even been roomies for awhile until Blaine finally asked Kurt to move in with him.

"Fine, yes I knew he'd be there. As for orchestrating it, I actually can't claim responsibility for that. It seems old Mr. Schue gave him the two tickets you sent him when he realized he couldn't make it." Kurt explained. Rachel frowned sourly, applying mascara as she did so.

"Great, just great. Our old glee club teacher's playing match maker." Rachel said after finishing her makeup. Kurt shook his head.

"You know Finn's not here for romance Rachel. I think Mr. Schue just wanted to help a former student he'd once thought of as almost a son make things right." Kurt said. Rachel still scowled. Kurt assessed her expression.

"I take it didn't go well?" he asked Rachel shook her head.

"That's not it. It went smoothly, almost too perfect. He escorted me back home after the show, and expressed his need for forgiveness constantly. It was endearing that he'd come all this way for something like that. But it doesn't change the fact that I've gone ten years without a word from him because he hated the fact I don't need him to live my life happily." Rachel said bitterly as they headed out the door.

"Look Rachel, I know what he did was terrible. And I'm not defending him, or anything. But I haven't seen my brother this dead set on something in a very long time. He's serious when he says he wants your forgiveness. So just, give him a chance, okay?" Kurt pleaded with the shorter woman.

"Kurt I never said I wasn't giving him a chance. I'm not going to blow him off. But he's going to have to earn it. I'm not that 16 years old who would forgive him at the drop of a dime anymore." she said. Kurt nodded.

"Good, you had better make him work his butt off. He needs something to do with the year he's staying here." he commented, slipping in the last part slyly to gauge her reaction. Rachel's eyes widened.

"What was that? A whole year?" she asked, incredulously. Kurt smirked.

"He took a year vacation from dad, and he has a lot of money saved up from working there for 10 years, because he rarely ever spends money on anything besides food and the occasional new shirt. So he rented a small apartment on 7th." Kurt said. Rachel was beyond shocked.

"He _moved_ here? Just to fix things with me?" it was a rhetorical question Kurt laughed.

"It would seem that way. I'm sure he'll be getting a job or something but it seems this has really been eating him up. Don't you feel special?" Kurt joked. But Rachel's look was melancholy at best.

"Not really." she muttered under her breath, to quiet for Kurt to hear.

* * *

><p><strong>I wanted to give Finn plenty of time to get his act together. I don't really know how long a period of time this story spans, I forgot to add it up, but yeah just didn't want them running on a deadline.<strong> **Although I accidentally gave myself one in the very next chapter, I think. Try to ignore that, pretty sure it doesn't span that long as it were. Watched the premier of 2 Broke Girls. I loved it, I think I'll start watching it regularly. Anywho, goodnight all. I'll have the next chapter at either 2 tomorrow morning, or around maybe 5 or so in the afternoon. Depends on how long the photoshoot takes, and if my grandparents decide they're willing to pick me up, drop me off, pick me up, drop me off, and pick me up, drop me off, take me back, drop me off, and then finally pick me up. My schedule's all packed this week. So glad I wrote this before I started putting it out there. Also helps that I like, never sleep. Look at me, rambling again :P**


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Awkward

**Soooo, another chapter that's more than 1,000 words. Not by much but still. Looks like the chapters have gotten longer now. I'll probably only upload two chapters a day now, since I have a really busy week. Rehearsals in an hour and a half, so I need to eat soon and I don't think I'll be getting another chapter up before I leave, cuz I wanna study my lines some more. Anyways, more Finn and Rachel interaction in this one. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee. If i did I wouldn't have to worry about not seeing the premier tonight cuz I could just watch it whenever I wanted to.**

**Song: Brave- Idina Menzel**

* * *

><p>"So how long do you have off before filming starts?" Finn asked, trying to make small talk. He sat in a chair in her living room in her rather large condo in the Upper East area, sipping a cup of coffee she had given to him. It had been revealed to him that she made quite a lot now that she had a name for herself. She was currently in the kitchen making herself cup of tea.<p>

"About 4 months. I'll still have to go to some press releases, and there's probably one major award show I'll be required to go to, and there are definitely going to be photo shoots…. Oh and interviews too." she said, fighting off her urge to snap at him. This was all very awkward to her, but she had given her word she'd give him a chance, so she had begrudgingly invited him over to her condo, to catch up on the last 10 years they'd missed on each others lives.

"That doesn't seem like much of a vacation." he commented. Rachel laughed.

"I never said it was, Finn. People seem to assume acting and singing is an easy job, but it's really not. It's emotionally and physically exhausting. But I still love it. There's just something uplifting about all of it, making all those people in the audience feel something more than their everyday lives allow them to. And it's a really great release for pent up emotions too. Sometimes I think it's the only thing keeping me sane." Rachel said, sitting in the chair on the other side of the coffee table. Finn watched her as her eyes expression became that of true contentment, and he wanted to kick himself because she had found that without him. And he realized he'd never found what she had. He was accepted the life he had, but he didn't love it, not like she loved hers.

"Seems like you're really happy with where you're at." he commented. Rachel gave him the first genuine smile she had since he'd seen her. It was a small one, but it was still infectious, and he gave her that goofy half smile he always used to do in high school. For some reason this caused her smile to drop immediately, and she cleared her throat rather loudly, taking a sip of tea.

"So, uh, how's your life been? What have you been up to?" she asked. Finn shrugged.

"I got a degree in Automotive Technology, and I've been working regularly at my step-dad's auto shop. I had been planning to just take it over, but then this came up and I realized, besides the fact I screwed up when I stopped talking to you, but also that I've just been kind of letting my life pass me by. I've never taken a chance on anything since we graduated, and I guess just hearing about how you'd become so successful, and then hearing from everyone else, and realizing they were happy with their lives too? I decided, I wasn't going to do that anymore. I was going to take a chance, and move somewhere new, and make a new life for myself." he said. Rachel stared at him intensely throughout his speech, and he began to feel uncomfortable under her gaze.

"Sounds like you had quite the epiphany there, Finn." she said. Her voice was chilly, and Finn flinched.

"You hate me." he stated. Rachel's eyes widened a little. She shifted in her seat a little, set her tea down on the coffee table, and then fixed Finn with a stare. It wasn't a glare, by any means. It was a haunted looking stare, like she was pleading he understand something.

"Listen, Finn. It's great you finally realized this about your life. But it's been 10 years, and you turned your back on me at times I really needed you, and I won't lie, I resent you for that. I'm just really not sure if I can forgive you." she said, and the seriousness in her stare almost killed him. She was right, of course. He was sure there were times when she needed someone like him to be there for her, and he hadn't been, because he'd been jealous and stupid. But the idea that he might never gain her forgiveness? It left him terrified. He got up from her chair and sat at the edge of the couch near her chair. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat to the far right of the chair, away from him as he leaned in.

"I'm not going to give up, Rachel. Not until I've regained every bit of your trust that I lost." he whispered. She visibly gulped, and he felt bad for making her uncomfortable like this, but he needed her to understand how dead set on this he was. More than he had been on anything in years. Still, the tension was palpable, and he needed to break it. He stood suddenly.

"You know what, I think we should take a tour of New York." he declared. Rachel cocked an eyebrow at him.

"I know New York almost like the back of my hand, why would I need a tour?" she asked, bewildered. Finn shook his head.

"No, not for you. I meant you give me a tour of New York. And don't say you can't, you just admitted you know this place like the back of your hand." he insisted. Rachel frowned.

"I don't know, Finn…" she said, apprehensive. Finn gave her another half smile, holding his hand out to her.

"Oh, come on. When was the last time you went sightseeing in this place for the fun of it?" he asked. She starred at his hand, still looking uneasy. After a moment though, she gave a small smile, and took his hand. He tensed a little at the contact, surprised when a shock ran down his fingers, but helped her up with a grin on his face anyways.

"Alright, fine. But you're paying for everything." she bargained. His grin only widened.

"Deal."

* * *

><p><strong>If I didn't love acting so much I'd so skip rehearsal... And of course there's the fact this play is for competition, and I need to go if I want to audition for a scholarship... Yeah probably best to go. Well, the next chapter will be up after 9. Review please :P<strong>


	15. Chapter Fifteen: Empire State Building

**So I'm all overly ecstatic because my grandma actually let me stay up to watch the premier on the VCR they'd taped it on. Yes, I'm 17 and I still have a bed time, don't judge. But let me just say it's put me in SUCH a good mood, I'm gonna post 2 more chapters, one after the other. My feelings on the episode will be saved for the next chapter. Oh and it's been like, almost 2 years since I was in New York, but I DO remember having to stand around for that god forsaken line to move forward at the Empire State Building, now that might be a seasonal thing since it was like, Christmas and stuff, but I'm just treating it like it was then. Anywho, enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: However much I want it, now more than ever, I do not own Glee D:**

**Song: Today 4 U- Rent**

* * *

><p>"Ugh my feet hurt…." Finn whined. They were standing in the long line of people waiting to get on the elevator to the top of the Empire State Building. Rachel smirked at his discomfort.<p>

"You're the one who wanted to see the Empire State Building, so don't complain." she reprimanded him. He moaned, leaning from one foot to another. He looked down at her, as she stood there, still as a board, no sign of discomfort or pain anywhere on her face.

"How are you doing that?" he groaned. She looked at him quizzically.

"Doing what?" she asked. He pointed at her feet.

"We've been walking and standing for hours. My feet are ready to kill me. How are you not in agony like me?" he grunted. Rachel smiled.

"Oh my feet do hurt; I'm just used to it. I try to walk most places, because driving in this city can be downright terrifying." she explained. The elevator to the 86th floor finally came back down, and the two entered it, along with a few other people.

"You sure you don't want to go all the way up to the 102nd floor?" Rachel asked him. Finn shook his head.

"Not if we wanna go out to dinner after this. My wallet is crying." he mumbled. Rachel frowned.

"Dinner? Finn this isn't-" she began, but Finn cut her off.

"Relax Rach, it's nothing fancy. Just a meal among friends." he commented. Rachel scowled, stepping out when the elevator doors opened, Finn following behind her.

"First off, Finn, we're not friends again yet, so no calling me Rach either. And second, the last time you told me we were having a 'friendly dinner' you tried to kiss me on the streets and I ran away, remember? It _was_ here in New York, after all." she said coldly. She felt bad for berating him like that, but it seemed he was easily goading them back into a friend area and she didn't want to let herself trust him that easily. Finn frowned.

"Sorry, really. But I'm serious this time. I mean we're both hardly dressed the part. And the last time I had actually planned it as a date. We could grab something to go at a Subway or something if you want." he said. Rachel couldn't help but laugh.

"You're in New York, Finn. This place is known for its diversity, and that includes food, and you want to go to a chain restaurant you can find anywhere in America?" she asked, bemused. Finn scratched the back of his head, looking embarrassed.

"Well, fine. You have anything in mind?" he grumbled. She chuckled.

"No, Finn, Subway's fine. Stay here a bit longer and you'll find some other good restaurants. Plus Subway is one place I know can accommodate for vegans." she said. He growled, and raised his hand in a fist, probably to lightly bump her on the arm. Terrible flashes of memory ran through her mind suddenly, and she found herself whimpering and flinching away from him. Finn stopped, puzzled, but she closed her eyes as if to brace for the impact, closing off the world around her.

"Rachel? Are you okay? Hey! Rachel talk to me!" she heard his voice calling to him through the darkness in her mind, pulling her out of her memories. She took three large, calming breaths, and slowly opened her eyes. He had his hands on either of her shoulders, and was leaned over, peering into her face with a worried expression on his face. She noticed several people around them on the observation deck were looking on with curiosity, so she shook him off her, trying to seem like nothing had happened. But Finn didn't seem to want to let it go.

"What the hell was that Rachel?" he whispered to her as she headed to the edge of the roof, where the wire fencing was up to prevent any attempted suicides, or accidents.

"Nothing Finn, I just flinched." she said with a monotone. Finn put his hand softly on her arm and turned her to look at him, but she instead looked everywhere but his face, instead looking out at the city, focusing her attention on the Chrysler Building's lights.

"That was not nothing Rachel. What was that all about?" he pressed. She still refused to look at him, knowing if she did, at this moment she would spill everything to him. And she couldn't do that, not when she didn't even trust him yet.

"It was a natural reaction, when you live here long enough you get a bit paranoid is all." she insisted. She could feel him still staring at her, but eventually he let go of her arm, giving her a small 'fine'. She was relieved he didn't pursue it further.

"So this is the top of New York, huh?" he said after several minutes of awkward silence, with her trying to rain in her emotions, focusing on the Chrysler Building as if it were her lifeline. She looked at him then finally, trusting herself to be able to without breaking. His jaw was tense, she noticed, but he also had a look of wonder as he looked out at the city lights at night. She gave a small smile, happy he reveled in the same marvels she did.

"Mhm. If I had the time I'd come here more often. But I really love starring at the Chrysler Building. It's the tall one over there." she said, pointing. He directed his attention towards it and nodded, smiling softly.

"There's something magical about city lights at night. It's not the same kind of beautiful as nature and stuff but it still manages to be pretty awesome, y'know?" he said. Rachel smiled.

"My sentiments exactly." she said.

* * *

><p><strong>Glee made me realize I have yet to watch Hairspray, and I still need to finish West Side Story. I think I'ma get on that after the next chapter.<strong> **Next chapter up SUPER DUPER soon. Reviews are LOVED.**


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Coverup

**Holy moly this chapter's longer than usual. I WOULD save this for tomorrow but I'm just so damn happy right now. I'll let you get to the chapter before I start blabbering on about the episode. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: IT'S NOT MINE OKAY?**

**Song: What The Hell- Avril Lavigne**

* * *

><p>"So how was it, then?" Kurt asked, his excitement almost oozing off him.<p>

"It was nice. A little awkward at some points, but she doesn't seem to hate me at the very least." Finn said, flipping through channels. Kurt was sitting on the bed of Finn's small apartment, demanding to come over to hear the details of his and Rachel's outing in person. Finn sat in a small chair next to the bed, trying to find something interesting to watch on the tiny TV in the corner.

"I doubt Rachel could ever hate you Finn. She doesn't have a single hating bone in her body. I mean she had every reason to hate Quinn throughout high school, and look at them now; they're practically best friends because Rachel not once could find it in her to hate the girl." Kurt said. It was true, of course, despite many other misgivings Rachel was never able to hate anyone, no matter how horrible they were to her. Kurt thought it was a sweet quality, but was also very dangerous.

"Yeah, that's true. I heard she still talks to Santana even, so you're definitely right. Oh there was something that bothered me though, on the top of the Empire State Building." Finn commented. Kurt motioned for him to continue.

"Well, I went to give her a light tap on her arm, with my fist, you know? I wasn't gonna really punch her, but she-" Finn began.

"She overreacted and almost seemed to shutdown." Kurt finished for him. Finn looked at his step-brother incredulously, wondering how he could say it like it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Yeah…. That's exactly what happened. Are you telling me she does that often? What could have-" Finn began again only to be cut off once again by Kurt.

"Could have happened to make her react like that? I'm sorry Finn, I can't tell you. Look, Rachel's just really sensitive about physical contact, especially when it comes to men. Try to be careful with the way you move around her, we don't need her going into shock or something." the pale man responded. Finn gulped. He felt like he'd stumbled on some terrible secret.

"Did she get mugged or something?" Finn asked. Kurt looked at his brother, who was staring at him earnestly, and felt terrible for lying to him.

"Yeah, something like that. It was pretty bad, but it was awhile back, like 6 years ago. She's still a bit startled sometimes but other than that she's fine." he lied. Well it wasn't a real lie, just a slight twist of real events and leaving out of several important details, Kurt reasoned. Finn looked like he'd been shot or something.

"My god. Was she hurt?" he asked, his voice dripping with concern, and something else Kurt recognized that he usually only heard from one other person whenever he was sick or injured in some way himself. Kurt almost smirked at that, realizing Finn had already fallen hard, again, but refrained from doing so due to the situation.

"Only minor injuries. Don't worry, the guys in jail." he added at the end when Finn looked like he could murder the bastard. Kurt himself almost wished he could.

"I should've been there for her… she wouldn't have gotten hurt…." he mumbled. Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Stop mopping about the past, Finn. You're here, and so is she, so look for the future when she's forgiven you for your misdeeds and you're best friends again… or even something more." Kurt teased. Finn looked mortified.

"What? M-more? I don't even, we don't even, she would never, I don't feel…." he rambled, Kurt cut him off by holding up his hand.

"Don't BS me Finn, I can tell love when I see it, and you've got it bad for her. Maybe it simmered down when you were separated from her all these years, but it's back with a passion now." Kurt said. Finn shook his head frantically.

"Okay, okay. Maybe you're right; maybe I am in love with her, again. But I'm not going to act on it. She said that she only wants me as a friend, and if that's what I have to be to stay a part of her life, then that's what I'm gonna be." he said, effectively ending the conversation. Kurt rolled his eyes, and whipped out his cell phone.

To: Rachel Berry  
>From: Kurt Hummel<p>

- Rachel, you need to be more careful.

- What do you mean?

- Finn was just hammering me with questions as to why you reacted so badly on top of the ESB when he tried to fake punch you.

- Oh crap. What did you tell him?

- Implied you'd been mugged or something. Then effectively distracted him with something else.

- Thank god for you, Kurt.

- I prefer to thank my amazing mind, but do what you will. I have a question for you though.

- Shoot.

- Do you still love him?

- Excuse me?

- Rachel we all know the only reason you threw yourself into that relationship with Landon is because you needed someone to distract you from the pain of losing Finn.

- No, I got with Landon because I liked him, and I thought he liked me as well.

- Liar.

- Look, whatever feelings I may have had for Finn just aren't there anymore. It used to be I would look at him, and I felt like even my darkest days were fine because he was there. Even when we weren't together. Now I look at him and he's just another face.

- Honestly?

- I'd tell you if I thought I was still in love with him, Kurt.

- Fine, I believe you. It's really a shame though.

- What do you mean?

- I'm just saying.

- Oh god, please don't tell me he still….

- I won't tell you then. Listen, Rachel. Regardless of how he feels, he's being honest when he says he just wants your friendship back. As far as I can tell he'll die a happy man as long as he can get you to forgive him.

- Intense. I'll see what I can do about that.

- Don't forgive him unless you're ready Rachel. You're tendency to forgive easily has gotten you into trouble before.

- I realize, Kurt. But already he's showing me that maybe, just maybe, I can trust him again. And I want to Kurt, I really do.

- I'm glad. I hate seeing my brother miserable.

- I'm not going to break his heart the way he broke mine unless I really can't find it in myself to forgive him. At this rate though, I think the chances of that are slim.

- I'm glad.

- I actually am too.

"Who are you texting, Kurt?" Finn asked, trying to peer over his brothers shoulder. Kurt immediately locked his phone and put it back in his pocket. Finn looked at him questioningly.

"Just Rachel. Talking about last night." Kurt said. Finn suddenly had a hopeful look on his face.

"And what did she say? Is there any chance for me?" he asked. Kurt smirked.

"Lucky for you, she seems to really want to forgive you. Now it's up to you to regain back her trust." Kurt said. Finn beamed.

"You have no idea how happy that makes me, man. Do you have any tips as to how I might regain her trust?" Finn asked. Kurt pondered this for a moment, and then an idea struck him.

"She has a photo shoot tomorrow. She always someone with her, usually me or Blaine, as moral support. I might just come down with food poisoning tomorrow and be not able to make it." Kurt said, grinning slyly. Finn looked at him blankly.

"That really sucks for you, man. But how's that gonna help me?" Finn said. Kurt, in that moment, saw an echo of the Finn from high school, and struggled intensely not to slap his forehead to his palm.

"What I'm trying to say is, I'll find an excuse not to be there, she'll be left without moral support, which is a really bad thing when it comes to her and photo shoots. Then you'll show up like a knight in shining armor, and help her get through it." Kurt explained to the somewhat still dense man slowly. Finn slapped his palm to his forehead instead.

"Oh, duh. Sorry. Yeah, okay that sounds great. Why's it so important she have someone with her during photo shoots?" Finn asked. Kurt shrugged.

"She's fine as long as it's just head on smiling at the camera. But during more intimate shots, she tends to freak out over the smallest detail, and it drives the photographers insane. So we try to always have someone there to calm her down before she begins to rant about every little off thing." Kurt said flippantly. Finn chuckled.

"Alright, I'll help her out. Anything I should bring with me?" he asked. Immediately Kurt began to list several things, and eventually after realizing Finn wasn't retaining any of it, resorted to grabbing a pad and scribbling it down. He was determined to get these two back to at least being friends again. He'd noticed they both seemed to be missing a piece of themselves for a long while now, and he wondered if it might not just be each other.

* * *

><p><strong>And there you go, 3 fairly longish chapters by my standards in a day :D So anyways, many things I loved about the episode and other things not so much.<strong>

**1. Rachel and Kurt as best friends. I love it, I thought it was something that should've been done since season 1, and I'm stoked they finally got on that. 2. Blaine's at McKinley! :D Nothing more to say. 3. Lindsay was in this episode, and she rocked Anything Goes/Anything You Can Do, as I love both those songs. I don't care if people hated her, I wanted her to win Glee Project after they kicked off Marissa. Sooo i was stoked to see her.** **4. Yay they finally gave Mercedes a boyfriend! :D 5. I'm gonna be honest, I hate the Wizard of Oz and any songs from it, but Kurt and Rachel were so amazing in Ding Dong The Witch is Dead, I could not hate it. This coming from the girl who even hated KRISTIN CHENOWETH singing Somewhere Over The raibow. Yeah. 6. Just the fact that it's on again. This whole episode reminded me why I love the show so much. And Oh my GOD when Idina Menzel comes back next episode I will blow a GASKET. I freaking LOVE her. There were afew things that upset me. 1. Quinn D: I hate that she's not in glee anymore. Hell she can rock that look if she wants, but god don't leave glee club. I do love how they had both Santana and Rachel try to convince her to go back. 2. Santana WHY did you side with Sue after she tried to murder Brittany? Just WHY? And now she's out of glee club too and it will NOT be the same without her. anyways yeah that's it really xD Review please :D**


	17. Chapter Seventeen: Photoshoot

**Sooo, here's another 1000+ words chapter :D We're ABOUT halfway through now I believe. Wooh. Anywho, not much to really say, so enjoy. Oh, to Dramamamapwnsall, when we get to the point where it's revealed what happened, lemme know if you had it right :P And anyone else who's guessing on why Rachel acted the way she did on the ESB. Right, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Ain't mine. So sad...**

**Song: Knowing Me, Knowing You- ABBA**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you're bailing on me!" she said frantically over the phone. The photographer stood looking at her expectantly, but she waved him off, causing him to huff, and march away, leaving his assistants to attempt to pry the short woman away from her cell phone.<p>

"I'm not bailing on you, Rachel! I told you I got food poisoning, I'm really sorry. But do you really want me to show up there and vomit all over you? It'll be like Alcohol Awareness weak all over again." Kurt replied. Rachel became visibly green, muttering something along the lines of 'low blow' before snarling a goodbye and flipping her phone closed. She cursed at the fact she hadn't brought her own coffee, as she had been expecting Kurt to bring it for her. That's what she got for being arrogant, she figured.

"I heard someone over hear by the name of one 'Rachel Berry' ordered one tall coffee with rice milk?" came a voice behind her. There stood Finn, in a white collared shirt and pressed black pants, his hair jelled back, looking almost like he was supposed to be there, holding her usual coffee order. She could have hugged him. Actually she did, being careful to avoid him spilling her precious coffee.

"Oh my god, you're my savior! How the hell did you even know?" she asked, grabbing the latte from his hand and taking a large swig. He chortled.

"Kurt called and told me he couldn't make it, so he sent me bearing coffee." he said smiling, and if she had been paying attention she'd have realized he was somewhat flushed after her hug. She drank her coffee deeply, feeling it already calm her significantly.

"Thank god you came. I mean, don't think this means I suddenly trust you. But it was good of you to come. I'm going to warn you right now, however, I get neurotic during these things lately. I am not going to be held responsible for anything I do and say during this photo shoot." she said. Finally the person in charge of clothing got her attention and convinced her it would be very nice if she would change already. Finn watched it all with an amused look, and went to find a place to sit while he waited for her. Once he explained he was a friend of Rachel Berry, they immediately set up a chair to the side of the shooting set. Things seemed to go rather smoothly for the first couple of outfits, until they got to the bikini shot. Not only was she beginning to freak out, but Finn was having a hard time keeping his senses.

"Don't you get it? The bathing suit is 2 sizes too small, the swimming pool is unconvincing, the wind machine is irritating my eyes, and I'm finding hard to smile when there are a bunch of _pervs_ staring at me from every direction! AND WOULD YOU PLEASE STOP TRYING TO GET ME TO PUT MY HAIR UP!" she shouted. Finn was reminded of the girl she'd been in high school, suddenly. That Rachel would never been secure enough to wear a bikini as it were, but he could see some elements of her diva attitude still remained, especially when she was feeling insecure. He made to get up and go over to her, as the photographer began to shout at her in German.

"I don't understand you! I don't speak German! Speak ENGLISH, PLEASE!" she screamed back, and Finn could here she was beginning to venture into the hysterical. Finn made his way to the raving photographer, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The middle aged man spun around, ready to shout at Finn as well.

"Um, excuse, sir. I know this is a bit unorthodox, but could you give me a moment with her?" he asked, pointing to the young woman who was now shouting at a passing assistant about the lack of bottled water, sending him scurrying to find one. The photographer looked back at her, and then at Finn, sizing him up. Finally, he nodded.

"Fine. But make it quick." he said in a heavy German accent. Finn nodded, and then head towards Rachel, who stopped shouting long enough to stare at him questioningly as he approached her.

"Come with me." he said, gently grabbing her arm and leading her into a small building near the pool. She began to struggle against him immediately, and was about to shout at him too, when he placed a large finger over her lips.

"Shhh, calm down. Now, why are you feeling so insecure?" he asked. Rachel's eyes widened.

"I'm not-" she tried to protest, but he held his hand up, stopping her.

"No, don't lie Rachel. I knew you in high school, and I can tell now. When we were in high school, you were self centered and full of yourself, and it was annoying and hard to handle. But you were only like that because you thought if you didn't believe in yourself nobody else would. Now here you are, ranting at people about trivial things, and it's only because you're feeling insecure again. Why?" he prodded. Rachel bit her lip and pushed her hair behind her ear.

"Finn, how would you feel if you had to pose, wet, in front of a camera, in nothing but a Speedo?" she countered. Finn snorted.

"I'd be mortified. But I'm not nearly as strong as you are Rachel. Look, I know it's weird posing in an outfit like that, but it's part of what you do, right? And you love what you do, correct? So you gotta swallow the uncomfortableness, channel it into something else, y'know? I believe in you. Plus, this is your last outfit, after this I'll take you for some vegan ice cream, deal?" he said comfortingly, unconsciously rubbing circles on her exposed back as he spoke. She noticed, but it made her feel so much better that she didn't push him away. She smiled up at him.

"Fine, okay. I can do this, your right. But the ice cream had better be from The Ice Cream House." she said. He gave that familiar half-smile, and at that Rachel did actually move away from his soothing back rub. But now she'd regained her confidence, and when she went back out for the last of the photo shoot, she owned everything she did. And Finn couldn't express how amazed he was at how her demeanor had changed. He still, of course, had trouble focusing on anything but her throughout the rest of the shoot.

* * *

><p><strong>This part was kinda awkward to write for me... Anyways, I'll have another chapter up after my college class tonight. Quinn makes an appearance next chapter :P I know a lot of people who love Rachel hate Quinn, but I actually really like her too... I don't think there's anyone on that show that I hate character wise except maybe Azimio and Jacob... Anyways, review please :D<strong>


	18. Chapter Eighteen: Unexpected Visitor

**This is back into the shorter than I'd like it to be area, but I think it's gonna be the last chapter for today... Anyways, hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**Song: Why You Had To Leave- Cascada**

* * *

><p>A knock sounded on the front door of Rachel's condo. She looked up curiously from the book she'd been reading, staring at the door. She hadn't been expecting someone. It was Monday afternoon a week after the photo shoot, and Kurt was rehearsing for the new play he'd gotten into, "How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying", Blaine was working on a review of the latest NFL game she hadn't payed attention to, and Finn was apparently out looking for a job so he could maybe start a life for himself here, out of working for his step-father in Ohio. She got up from her place, sprawled across the couch, putting down her book, and made her way to the door. She opened it to reveal…<p>

"Hey Rachel. Hope you don't mind me dropping by unannounced, but I have two weeks off and I heard from Kurt that a certain somebody is in town." said Quinn, smiling at her friend. Rachel squealed, and gave Quinn a bear hug, before letting the blonde woman into her condo.

"It's so great to see you Quinn. 6 months is too long." the smaller woman said happily, as she directs her old friend to the couch as she headed into the kitchen to heat up some coffee for her.

"It is too long. I swear we both work way too much. Though I've heard you have some time off." Quinn called to her. She looked around the living room, and noted nothing was out of place.

"If you could even call it that. I still have a lot of publicity stuff to do." Rachel said, handing the coffee to Quinn before sitting on the couch next to her. Quinn fixed the brunette with a soul piercing stare.

"Down to business. Finn's been here, right?" Quinn asked. Rachel visibly gulped.

"Well, yeah. He's been vying for my forgiveness. And I don't think it's such a bad idea, he seems really sincere." Rachel said. Quinn glowered.

"Lemme ask you this. Are you in love with him, and is that affecting your need to forgive him?" Quinn asked bluntly. Rachel almost laughed.

"You're the second one to ask me that. No, I don't love him anymore. I'm choosing to possibly forgive him because he's been very kind and sincere about it. And a week ago he saved me from myself at a photo shoot." Rachel said. Quinn smiled.

"_He_ managed to calm _you_ down? Is he missing any appendages?" she asked jokingly. Rachel, in a _very_ adult-like fashion, stuck her tongue out at the offending question. Quinn laughed.

"I know it's hard to believe, but he did it. He made me feel so great about myself, and I don't know, I just feel like I can trust him again." Rachel said. Quinn's smile dropped a bit.

"Okay, if you really feel you can forgive him, then do it. But if he ever comes close to just deserting you again? Then Kurt, Blaine and I will not be lenient towards him, even if he is Kurt's step-brother." Quinn said. Rachel smiled.

"I'm not going to forgive him after just a week. But I do have an idea. See, the Emmy's are coming up, and I was invited because that show I guest starred on for awhile was nominated. Anyways I want to take someone with me, and I was thinking of bringing Finn. If by the end of that night, still feel like forgiving him, I'll do it then. That will give him a chance to prove how sincere he is." Rachel said. Quinn frowned, recalling what Kurt had said about Finn still being in love with the petite Broadway star, and wondered if this wouldn't be absolute torture for him, seeing the one he loved in a fancy dress, looking her absolute best, and having to contain his feelings. At the same time, she figured, if he really loved her he'd deal with it. He'd resist anything to get her to forgive him.

"If that's what you feel you need, then go for it." she replied, her smile poised, like the rest of her, hiding her uncertainty. Rachel beamed, and soon the two girls fell into causal banter that lasted into the evening, before Rachel offered to have Quinn stay in her guest room while she was here, which she tried to turn down, but was ultimately practically dragged into it. She figured, at the very least, she could help Rachel when the Emmy's came around the Sunday after next before she left for New Jersey again.

* * *

><p><strong>I can't even think of anything to say here... Next chapter is before and leading up to Emmy's. I'm skipping over the actual Emmy's themselves.<strong> **Yup... Reviews are fantabulous.**


	19. Chapter Nineteen: Emmys

**I'm so sorry I didn't update Thursday or Friday. I got caught up with rehearsal and Glee library stuff and Red Feather (the name of our theater company)** **and was just so exhausted :/ I'll be publishing like 4 today and tomorrow to make it up to you all. Your reviews and alerts have really made me so happy, though I'm somewhat in a slump now. Luckily that won't affect my writing in the slightest since this is already written (though I do have to fix a few major points in the final chapters). For those of you still guessing about why Rachel acts so oddly at times, keep wondering, cuz that's still not for awhile :P** **Anywho, I shall be quiet now and let you read.**

**Disclaimer: don't own Glee or it's amazing characters.**

**Too Soon- Hey Ocean**

* * *

><p>"Why are they picking me up first?" Finn asked his brother, who was fixing his tie.<p>

"You're apartment is closer to the limo rental place, or something. Look I don't know or care." Kurt explained offhandedly, running a critical eye over Finn's tuxedo. It was a simple black one with a grey vest and white undershirt, and a red tie. His shoes were regular black dress ones, and he basically looked like he was about to get married or something. Kurt smirked at the idea.

"Are you sure I look okay? Good enough to not completely mess up any photos they take of her?" Finn asked, suddenly uncharacteristically self conscious of his hair, reaching a hand up to run through it, but Kurt slapped it away.

"You look great Finn. You'll be the best looking guy there." Kurt said, trying to boost his brother's confidence. Finn gave Kurt a grateful smile, jumping when a horn honked from outside. Finn's face paled, and Kurt had to practically push him outside and into the waiting limo, waving him off as it drove away. Finn was a wreck, his nerves were making his stomach do back flips, which was making him really nauseous. Of course he had agreed immediately when Rachel had invited him to the Emmy's with her, but then he realized this was public television, he'd be seen on camera by thousands of people. And then it hit him that Rachel was going to be in a dress, and looking stunning, and he'd be fighting down urges all night. He swore to himself he would not touch a drop of alcohol tonight. The limo arrived at her condo, and before the driver could get out to open the door for the limo to her, Finn did, wanting to get the first impression of seeing her out of the way. As he'd expected, she took his breath away. She was wearing a red strapless, form fitting dress that stopped just above the knee, showing off her killer legs. Finn noticed, randomly, that she was wearing a thin sparkly black scarf around her otherwise exposed neck since instead of wearing her hair down she had apparently elected to wear it in an elegant bun. She smiled up at him as he could only gape.

"Y-you look…. amazing." he almost whispered. Her grin only widened, as she moved past him and slid into the limo. Finn noticed that she hadn't even lightly blushed at his compliment, and his gut dropped, realizing she really was completely over him. He sat beside her in the limo, as far away from her as possible.

"I'm glad you think so. You look great too. You'll have to thank Kurt for the dress." she commented. He made a mental note to do just that, and then punch him for it. He tried to stare ahead but couldn't help but glance at her every couple of seconds. Eventually she seemed to notice.

"Is there something wrong, Finn?" she asked, her eyes full of nothing but curiosity, and if he squinted really hard, maybe a bit of worry.

"Huh? Oh, no nothing. Just nervous." he said. It wasn't a complete lie; he was nervous, out of his mind with terror at screwing things up. But that wasn't why he kept looking at her, of course. She reached over and put her hand gently over his, making his breath hitch. He tried to cover it up by letting out a cough.

"You'll be fine, Finn." she said encouragingly, staring right into his eyes, and for a small moment, all the apprehension he'd been having disappeared. Then they arrived. He paled again, and Rachel giggled slightly, grabbing hold of his hand practically dragging him out of the car, before starting down the carpet with him at her side. One particularly friendly reporter waved her over for a short interview.

"So, Rachel Berry. Who's this fine young man you have at your side to night? Secret husband or boyfriend perhaps?" the reporter asked. He was nice, yes, but still incredibly nosey and Finn felt his face turning red. Rachel fortunately handled it much better than him. She laughed. A loud, peeling laugh, and one of the most real ones he'd ever heard from her. It was actually kind of insulting if he thought about why she was laughing, but he was too distracted by how her laugh made him feel all warm inside.

"Oh no, no. No romantic relations. This is Finn Hudson, he's an old…" Rachel trailed off for a moment. Finn held his breath, wondering how she'd describe him. He almost felt as if everything came down to this moment. Friend? Acquaintance? Ex-boyfriend?

"He's an old friend of mine from high school." she finally finished, glancing up at him and smiling softly. Finn grinned back at her. As soon as they managed to escape from the interviewer, he leaned over so that his mouth was right next to her ear. He felt her momentarily stiffen, before seeming to realize it was him.

"So, does this mean you forgive me then?" he whispered in her ear. He could almost hear the grin that he knew had spread across her face.

"Yes, Finn. This means I forgive you." she confirmed.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay Finn's forgiven :D This might be odd to point out but I actually really dislike Finn as a character... It's kind of like with me and Hermione and Ron in the Harry Potter series. I love Hermione, I strongly dislike Ron and how he treats her at times (*cough*6th book*cough), but I would never pair them with anyone else. So the same goes for Finchel. Love Rachel, strongly dislike Finn, would never pair them off with anyone but each other. Which disliking Finn is probably blasphemy to a lot of you, sorry. But it's just my opinion. Next chapter either when I wake up or before I go to bed whenever that is. Review please :D<strong>


	20. Chapter Twenty: The Shift

**Here's the next chapter! :D Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, guys, it really and truly brightens my day. So anyways, this story's starting to kind of pick up here, so we should be getting this story finished soon... I'll get the next chapter up after Walmart and probably my Government homework. And after we get the new kitten settled. Sooooo yeah. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee D:**

**Song: Catch Me- Demi Lovato**

* * *

><p>"You really didn't have to walk me up the stairs to my condo…." Rachel muttered, struggling to speak without slurring her words. She wasn't seriously drunk or anything, not to the point where she was hanging on everyone. But she was mildly buzzed, and she did realize if he hadn't helped her up the stairs she'd probably be lying at the bottom right now, with a broken skull. He reached for the keys she was struggling to fit into the keyhole and proceeded to unlock her door for her, swinging it open and leading her in, his hand still on her back.<p>

"Whatever, Rach. I'm your escort for the night; I couldn't let you walk up those stairs in your state." he said, using her nickname openly now, and she hadn't once objected all night. He proceeded to plop on her couch.

'What… are you doing?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I wanna make sure you get to bed before I head back to my place." he said. If Rachel was completely sober, she'd have easily seen through his lie, but she shrugged, and stumbled into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Slowly she took her hair down, removed the makeup, and slipped out of her dress into her pajamas which consisted of sweats and a large t-shirt. She went back into her living room, about to tell Finn she was fine now, and that he could go home, only to find him snoring softly on the couch. She smiled, and shook her head. After drinking a bottle of Gatorade to wet her tongue, Rachel set to work to make him more comfortable on her couch, as she didn't have the heart to wake him. He'd kept with her all night, and she knew he had to be way more exhausted than her. Slowly, she removed his black shoes, and then his socks. Then she removed his jacket, vest, and tie, folding them and laying them on the coffee table. Then she ventured to her linen closet, and pulled out an extra blanket, and pulled an extra pillow off her bed. She gently threw the blanket over him, and reached down to put the pillow under his face. As she cupped his face in her hand, to gently lift it and quickly place the pillow under it, she felt something inside her shift. As if it had just been waiting for the right trigger. Looking at his serene sleeping face, she remembered when she could look at this man in the hallways of McKinley High School and everyone else would just disappear. And suddenly, as if that part of her had reawakened, when she looked at him now, nothing was around him anymore. she forgot where she was or what she was doing. She found herself leaning in towards him, caressing his cheek. Suddenly, a large beep sounded from her phone and she sprang back, quickly stuffing the pillow under his head. She shook her head, trying to forget what had just transpired. She couldn't believe herself, she really had fallen out of love with him finally and then suddenly in 10 seconds flat, he has her falling over him again, and he wasn't even _conscious_. She got up from her kneeling position on the floor, and searched for her phone in her purse. It was from one of her dads.

To: Rachel Berry

From: Dad

-Great job tonight honey! So glad that show you were on won! Who was the man with you?

Leave it to her dad to start off congratulatory, and then go straight into detective mode.

-Thanks Dad. He was Finn Hudson from high school.

-Didn't he dump you because he was afraid of taking chances?

-Yes, thank you for reminding me. He's recently reconciled with me. We're friends now.

-Is that all?

-Yes.

-He didn't look like 'just friends' material.

-Well he is. Goodnight Dad. Tell Papa I said hi.

-Will do sweetie. Congrats again.

Finn grumbled something in his sleep, and Rachel gave him a soft smile. She brushed some of the hair that had fallen out of its prefect jelled mold off his forehead tenderly, before heading to her bed. She was exhausted, and she knew tomorrow she'd have at least a mild headache.

* * *

><p><strong>Ooooh Rachel's fallen hard AGAIN. Course we all knew this was gonna happen right? So yeah, next chapter, Finn wakes up in her house, and Kurt and Blaine visit for breakfast :D Now I gotta go to Walmart for cat stuff and Tacos... To bad I can't finish watching The Parent Trap, though I have seen this movie entirely to many times. Reviews are amazing :P<strong>


	21. Chapter Twenty One: Waking

**Here's the next chapter :D Woooh! I should probably get to my Government homework now, but I'm watching Bolt and I love this movie :/ Plus i still have to finish Hairspray, West Side Story, and watch Fidler on the Roof... I watch way to many movies. As always the reviews, alerts, and favorites are just amazing. Anyways, enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: Glee's not mine.**

**Song: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again- Phantom of the Opera  
><strong>

* * *

><p>The first thing Finn did when he woke up was fall off the couch. The second was wonder where the hell he was as he fought like his life depended on it to free himself of the blankets evil grasp. When he finally got it off him, and had a look around, he remembered he'd fallen asleep while waiting on Rachel to get into her pajamas. And as he thought of Rachel, he wondered where she was. He listened for awhile, and he could faintly make out "Break My Stride" by Matthew Wilder playing from the only closed door, the one next to what he was pretty sure was her bedroom. He moved to the door, and putting his ear to it, heard some odd mechanical pressing sound. Puzzled, he knocked on the door.<p>

"Come in." Rachel called over the music. Finn opened the door to find Rachel on one of those elliptical machines in a tank top and shorts, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail. She slowed to a stop, grabbing a towel off the treadmill next to her and rapping it around her neck, patting down her forehead, wiping off the perspiration. Finn vaguely remembered a time in 10th grade where she had explained to him how she got energized every day in the mornings, and he was amused to find she was still doing that after all these years. He, being a guy, was also very distracted by the form fitting tank top and short shorts, but did his best to focus on her sweaty face instead. And he did a marvelous job, because even flushed and sweaty as she was, she was still freaking beautiful in his eyes. She gave him a small, almost embarrassed smile.

"Heya sleepy head." she teased him. He scratched his head, chuckling.

"Yeah, uh, sorry about falling asleep on your couch like that." he mumbled his apology. She waved him off, moving past him into the kitchen, where she grabbed a bottle of Gatorade from her refrigerator, and took a long swig from it.

"It's fine Finn. You were exhausted, I wasn't about to kick you out when you were already asleep." she said. Finn found himself starring at her perfectly toned legs, snapping out of it when she turned to look at him, focusing back on her face, and her eyes, which were actually a lot more mesmerizing than any other part of her to him as it was. He gave her his famous half smile, and he swore he saw something in her eyes in response to it. He decided not to linger on it though, and was about to respond, when a knock at the door cut him off. She mouthed something that looked like 'shit' and motioned for him to stay in the kitchen as she went to the door. At first Finn couldn't figure why she was freaking, but then realized he was here very early in the morning, and still wearing what he had been last night. He heard the door open, and what must have been Kurt rush in. There were a second set of footsteps however, and Finn figured it must have been Blaine.

"Oh my _god_ Rachel, you looked absolutely fantastic last night! Aren't you glad you let me design that dress for you?" Kurt gushed. Finn smirked his brother was overexcited as usual for something like that, and he could practically imagine Rachel and Blaine containing their laughter.

"Kurt, I did not _let_ you design my dress I specifically _asked_ you to myself." she reiterated. Finn imagined Kurt waving her off like it was a triviality.

"Whatever. And that scarf worked really well. I didn't think it would. Speaking of the scarf, your-" Kurt continued to ramble, only to be cut off by Blaine.

"Um, Kurt?" he said. Finn heard a really long awkward pause, and he wondered what could possibly have….

"Rachel…. _Why_ are my brother's clothes in the middle of your living room?" Kurt said, his voice rising several octaves. He could hear Rachel blubbering for an explanation.

"It's not like…. He just fell asleep on the couch. Don't look at me like that! I'm telling the truth!" she defended. Finn took it upon himself to step out just then. He was promptly slapped by his brother.

"Have you no _shame_ Finn Hudson? You took advantage of her when she was _drunk_, of all things?" his brother shouted. Finn stared at his brother in shocked silence, then to Blaine, who looked on with a perplexed expression, and lastly to Rachel who's cheeks had become a lovely scarlet color. And he couldn't help it, but he laughed. Kurt continued to glare at him, so he stopped quickly, but he still had trouble controlling his chuckles.

"You're such a drama queen Kurt! It's nothing, I escorted her home, and waited to make sure she got to sleep alright, but ended up falling asleep on the couch instead. I guess she must have taken of some of my outer layers and socks and shoes to make me more comfortable, or something. Dude, I swear nothing happened like what you're thinking last night, I mean she just barely forgave me last night anyways." he explained. Kurt eyed him suspiciously, before glancing at Rachel, who nodded.

"Fine, I believe you. Sorry for slapping you, Finn." Kurt conceded, and Finn noticed Rachel give out a sigh of relief.

"You know, while we're all here, why don't we go out to eat or something?" Blaine suggested. Rachel shook her head.

"Oh no, I've gone out to often lately. This morning I'm cooking breakfast. Everyone sit." she said, slipping into her room to take a quick shower and change. Kurt clapped his hands, liking his lips. Finn raised an eyebrow at Blaine's satisfied expression.

"She's an awesome cook, so we try to goad her into cooking us something every once and awhile. It's all vegan but it's surprisingly amazing." Blaine explained. Finn nodded his understanding, before reaching for the TV remote and turning the television on to football, which Kurt moaned over but was quickly shut down by the two sports lovers.

* * *

><p><strong>Next chapter up after dinner. Yup... Now I need to think of a good name for a black girl kitten : Anywho, review please :D**


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo: Breakfast

**Huzzah chapter 22 :D Still haven't done my government homework, or any of my art stuff, and I'm watching Interview With a Vampire instead . Oh well whatever I'll get it done eventually. Anyways, enjoy :D**

**Disclaimer: Glee, it's not mine.**

**Song: The Big Bang- Rock Mafia**

* * *

><p>Rachel watched happily as the three men dug into the vegan French toast she had set before them. Something about making people happy with her cooking just left her feeling good inside. She was especially happy when the reluctant looking Finn took a cautious first bite, and had since gobbled down 4 slices. She herself was on her second slice, as was Kurt, and Blaine, who was a surprisingly a big eater, was actually on his 6th. She was thankful she'd elected to make a lot. Once they were finished, Finn joined her at the sink to help her with the dishes, rinsing them before placing them in the dishwasher. She almost wished he hadn't, because now that she was once again very aware of every little thing he did, she felt herself standing rigidly, trying not to focus on the fact he was standing so close to her, perhaps closer than was really necessary. She wondered if he was purposely doing it. The entire thing was awkward to Rachel, and she almost let out a breath of relief when he placed the last dish in the dishwasher. She turned towards Kurt and Blaine, who she thought she caught exchanging odd glances, the kind people had when they were having entire conversations without saying a word, but they stopped as soon as they realized she had turned to look at them.<p>

"So then, do the both of you have the day off, or did you stop by just to talk about the Emmy's and eat breakfast?" she asked. Kurt gave a nervous laugh. Rachel glared at him accusingly.

"That's _exactly_ what you're here for, isn't it?" she challenged him. Kurt gulped.

"Sorry Rachel, really. But I have another workshop today, and its Monday so once again Blaine has another football game to cover." Kurt said apologetically. Rachel normally wouldn't have had any problem with their job commitments, but she knew if they left, that left her alone with Finn. Which wouldn't have been a problem if last night had never happened. Him and his damn peaceful sleeping face. But she played it off like she normally would, telling them not to worry and happily escorting them out the door. She thought that maybe Kurt was picking up some of the uncomfortable vibes, because he gave her a sympathetic smile. Or so she thought, before it turned almost devilish, and a glimmer in his eyes told her he knew what had shifted inside her. She gulped audibly and Finn looked at her curiously.

"Uh, you okay there Rach?" he asked. Rachel inwardly cursed at his obliviousness. Couldn't he see every time he called her that now it made her want to just fall back into his arms like she had done so many times in high school. She gritted her teeth, and pushed the hair that had fallen into her face behind her ear, nodding as she looked at Finn, giving him one of the most told lies in existence.

"I'm fine." she said, trying to smile cheerily. She was almost sure by Finn's expression that it had come out as a grimace instead. Sighing, she moved past him into the living room, plopping down on the couch unceremoniously, stretching her legs across the half of the couch. Of course a few seconds later Finn sat down near her feet, looking at her with concern.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" he asked, almost seeming panicked. Rachel couldn't help but smirk at him a bit.

"It's nothing you did Finn, don't worry. I guess I'm just a little…. stressed." she said. It was technically the truth, just not all of it. Finn's frowned deepened, and Rachel figured he was still placing blame on himself. She would try to comfort him, normally, but it actually really was his fault even if he didn't realize why. Finn remained silent for awhile, looking down. But then he grinned, and it looked downright creepy. Rachel began to worry for his sanity, until she realized to late what had made him smile like that. When she had changed, she had thrown on some old jeans and a t-shirt, but hadn't bothered to put shoes or socks on. So of course when Finn had looked down in shame, his eyes had rested on her naked feet. He also happened to know from experience that Rachel's feet were extremely ticklish, and that she could never stay mad or sad about something during or immediately after a completely one sided tickle fight. So he had pounced on her feet, and Rachel found herself laughing hysterically, that overly loud laugh that apparently caused Finn to laugh as well, and by the time it was over she was gasping for air with tears in her eyes as she tried to regain her composure on the couch, this time moving her legs so they faced the opposite way of Finn, ensuring he could not trap her in a second tickle attack. He grinned at her mischievously as she tried to fix him with a reproving glare, but failed and ended up laughing again.

"You feel better yet?" he asked. Rachel grinned back at him.

"Yeah. I really am." she said. And she meant it. She loved how he just seemed to automatically know what would cheer her up even when he didn't know the real problem. She couldn't help but notice him scoot a bit closer to her, and she cleared her throat.

"So, uh. You should probably get back to your place, get out of your clothes from last night, and all." she said, trying to give him the hint to leave. He got it, but not quite the way she wanted.

"Yeah, sure. Hey, wanna come with me?" he said, then realized what he'd said could be taken out of context.

"Er, I mean, to see my place. It's not much, but, well…." he trailed off. Rachel felt like she'd been stuck between a rock and a hard place. Everything in her mind was telling her she needed some time away from Finn, to reign in her newfound old feelings, if that made any sense. But her heart didn't want to be away from him now that she'd suddenly fallen in love with him again. Eventually her heart won out.

"I'd love to, Finn. Maybe afterwards we could do something in the city." she suggested, and immediately wanted to punch herself for making her situation worse. Finn beamed.

"Sure! Let's get going then." he exclaimed, and reached down to put on his shoes, then grabbed his vest, jacket, and tie before striding to the door and outside. She took a large, calming breath before she grabbed her bag and keys, threw on some socks and sneakers, and followed.

* * *

><p><strong>I love sweet tea... Anywho, the next chapter'll be up either before or soon after 12 my time. Probably after. Anywho, review please :D<strong>


	23. Chapter TwentyThree: Deja vu

**Chapter 23 :D Sooo this one's got bowling and stuff, Finn being oblivious, that kind of stuff. Have fun reading it. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee :/**

**Song: Please Don't Leave Me- P!nk**

* * *

><p>Finn swore there was something off about Rachel as he showed her around his small, yet cozy apartment. When he went to change, and mentioned he had to take a shower he swore she visibly tensed. Finn just couldn't figure what was wrong with her. She had seemed to calm after he had tickled her feet, but now she was all tense again. He was worried maybe she didn't want to be around him suddenly. Had he done something to upset her last night? Was it because he'd fallen asleep at her house? When he stepped out in fresh clothes, wiping his wet hair with a towel, he laughed when he found Rachel singing along to "Hungry Eyes" by Eric Carmen on his iPod that was hooked up to a small set of speakers. She jumped and spun around at his laugh, looking like she'd been caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar or something.<p>

"Sorry, I was just in the mood for something besides show tunes I guess." she said, pushing the pause button on the iPod. He shook his head.

"Not at all. Glad to hear you can still pull off any song you wanna sing." he said. He fully expected her to act bashful or something, but then she pulled something that was very reminiscent of the old Rachel Berry.

"Excuse me? You doubt my vocal versatility?" she asked, fixing him with a pointed look. He gulped. Apparently if there was one thing she was still egotistical about it was her voice.

"No, no of course not. I'm just making an indirect compliment. You sounded great." he tried to recover. She huffed.

"I don't need you to tell me that, I'm well aware…." she said, but her voice kind of lost its "high and mighty" tone towards the end, and she gave him a small smile.

"But thank you." she finished. Finn grinned.

"Any time. So, what do you want to do today?" he asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I honestly have no clue. It's rare I get this much time off, and when I do I usually just hole up and read a lot unless Kurt and Blaine are off or someone I know is visiting." she said. Finn pondered for awhile, before an idea came to his head. He wondered if it would be dangerous to their friendship if he suggested it, because of the meaning it held to the two of them.

"We should go bowling." he blurted out, mimicking his 15 year old self. He cursed himself in his head when Rachel's eyes became noticeably wider. She stroked a strand of hair behind her ear, something she did often when she was nervous or feeling self conscious. For a long moment he was convinced she'd refuse, walk out, and tell him to never see her again. He was just about to apologize for even suggesting it when she finally, after what seemed like forever, spoke up.

"I'd like that." she said softly. Finn was almost shocked she'd agreed to it, but realized she was probably trying to put past things behind them, in a mature manner. Heaven knows Rachel had always been much more mature than him.

* * *

><p>"Wow, Rachel. 12 years and you're <em>still<em> terrible." Finn said. Rachel glared back at him after bowling yet _another_ gutter ball. Finn just laughed, and she bit her lip, pouting as she sat in one of the seats of the lain they occupied.

"Well _excuse_ me. I haven't bowled since the time you taught me." she grumbled. Finn raised an eyebrow at her.

"Whoa, seriously? Why not?" he asked, genuinely surprised. Being Finn he just naturally assumed that all people bowled often. Rachel shrugged.

"I'm not like you, I don't bowl when I get wound up or frustrated. I do other things like have musical marathons. And I've always been busy with work or other things whenever Blaine and Kurt would go, even when Mercedes visited and went with them. Bowling's just not my thing." she explained. Finn noticed how she wouldn't look him straight in the eye and had a feeling she wasn't telling him the whole thing. He picked up his bowling ball and proceeded to bowl yet another strike. Rachel huffed, clearly put out at the fact she was losing so epicly. Finn bit his lip, again worried that if he said what he wanted to it would drive a wedge between them. But again, he ended up blurting it out.

"You want me to teach you again?" he asked. He saw her take a sharp intake of breath, and swore she seemed to stop breathing altogether. She wouldn't look at him, but he did notice her nod slightly. He grinned, though he felt maybe it hadn't been the best idea. This is how things had gone last time, after all, and they both knew how well that had ended. But, he figured, he had at that time been intentionally leading her on, and now he was just trying to be friends with her. It ended up being just as awkward as he thought it would, as he re-taught her how to swing the ball correctly, but by the end of it, as she had bowled a strike, she returned to her seat and the continued on as if nothing that had required them to be intimately close had occurred. By the end of the game she had still lost, but not as badly as she would have if he hadn't helped her. Or so he would like to think, but from her sudden increase in skill after such a small amount of instruction he became suspicious of just how inexperienced she really was. But then that would mean she'd been sucking on purpose for some reason, and there's no way the Rachel Berry he knew would purposely lose anything.

"They don't serve vegan anything here. Do you want to go out, or should we head back to my place? I don't mean to toot my own horn… well actually, I do, but I make a killer vegan lasagna." Rachel said, after the first round. He had wanted to challenge her to another game to see if he could still beat her with her sudden skill, but he found that he was very hungry, and Italian, whether it was vegan or not, sounded really good to him at the moment.

"Let's head back to your place. I'm still unemployed, I need to watch what I spend." he said. Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Finn it's not like we're dating, you don't have to pay all the time I'm perfectly capable of doing it." Rachel said. Finn shook his head. Sure they weren't dating, but it just felt wrong to him to make her pay for anything. Still he had had to let her pay for the bowling, or she wouldn't have agreed to it in the first place. Rachel rolled her eyes, and he followed her out onto the street as she turned and headed towards the nearest subway.

* * *

><p><strong>Sooo, something big happens next chapter, but I'm done posting for tonight, so you'll have to wait till either 9 or 13 oclock. Mwahaha... We're through 71 pages so this is pretty close to it's end, just 22 more pages :D Sy'eah, review and stuff. Just finished watching Fiddler on the Roof, now I'ma search through Netflix for anything else to watch before i go to bed. If not I'll probably finish West Side Story. No idea what's with me and watching anything remotely related to my favorite actorsactresses. I'm just weird like that.**


	24. Chapter TwentyFour: Impulse

**So I'm not all that sure how I feel about this chapter. It's kind of... rushy? Well, whatever, here's hoping y'all like it at least. ENJOY :D**

**Disclaimer: Glee's not mine D':**

**Song: Dancing With Tears In My Eyes- Ke$ha**

* * *

><p>Rachel felt kind of bad for leading Finn on like that and lying to his face, but she had to find some way to feel him close to her like that again for just one moment. She had of course been bowling since he had taught her, it was one of the things Mercedes loved to do whenever she visited, and Kurt and Blaine where also very fond of the sport. So she'd kind of been required to tag along. And over the years she had actually become exceptionally good, after about a year of complete failure. But when Finn had asked her to go bowling, she immediately was transported back to the time he'd asked her the same thing their sophomore year when he had still been dating Quinn but had been leading her on to get her back into the glee club. But most of all, she remembered that they had shared their second kiss ever while bowling and it had come right after he had given her tips on how to bowl properly. So she'd pretended she still sucked. She hadn't been hoping for a kiss, not at all, in fact she really didn't want one. But she did want to feel him close to her again. Just for a few moments. She sighed, closing her eyes, checking the lasagna to see if it was finished.. It had been amazing, awkward, but she could feel the tension between them was from unresolved feelings rather than anything else. And as she stood near him, with his hands on hers, she felt like she could really be absolutely complete again. The part of her that had frozen over was completely thawed in that moment and she realized that if she let him in again, as more than friend, maybe the part of her soul that was missing would heal. Seeing the lasagna was finished, she put on her oven mitts and removed it from the oven, carrying it into the small dining room and placing it on the table on a trivet.<p>

"Wow that smells amazing." Finn commented. Rachel gave him a small smile, as she cut into the dish and served him a large portion.

"Trust me it's even better than it smells. But be careful it's still really hot. You might wanna wait a few minutes." she warned. Half an hour later they had finished dinner, and again she found him standing next to her as they rinsed off the dishes. This time she reveled in his presence, instead of trying to fight off the feelings. She felt them, she realized, stronger than ever. But she would not pursue them, she told herself firmly. She couldn't, not after…

"Well, that's the last of them" Finn said. Rachel looked down to see the sink was indeed empty of dirty dishes. She shook her head to clear it.

"Uh, yeah, it is." she said lamely. Finn frowned.

"Right, like I said. Well uh, it's been great. But I should be getting back to my place." he said. Rachel nodded, and began to walk him to the door. As she walked something desperate began to awaken inside of her, something that needed him to stay. And when he had opened the door, and turned around to tell her goodnight, she couldn't stop herself. She wasn't sure what it was that had taken over her. She kissed him, right then and there. Finn was so shocked he didn't even respond for a good few seconds, before he grabbed her arms and kissed her back. The kiss was desperate, and full of desire. And, Rachel realized, just didn't feel right. This wasn't what she wanted. She couldn't take this. Horrible memories flashed through her mind again, and with a sudden burst of surprising strength from the petite woman, she sprang away from Finn, whose face was instantly clouded with confusion and pain.

"Finn… I don't… I… I… I just… I can't" she said, desperately searching for words to make him understand. She could tell by the look on his face that he didn't, and he made to step back inside, to confront her, or even worse, console her, or question her. So she did another extremely impulsive thing. She slammed the door in his face, bolting it and locking it. She heard his shouting through the door, leaning her head against it. And then the tears began to fall, and she turned, and slid down the surface of the door, huddled in front of it. And in that position she cried herself to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Aww, sad Rachel is sad. Anyways, I'll have the next chapter up after church. I hate leaving her all sad like that xD It doesn't last to to long thankfully. S'yeah, reviews are much loved.<strong>


	25. Chapter TwentyFive: Odd Therapy

**Sooo, Rachel gets a pep talk this episode, more foreshadowing... except it's kind of more BEFOREshadowing if that makes sense? Anyways, hope you all enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Glee *sigh***

**Song: Never Far Behind- Aly & AJ**

* * *

><p>"RACHEL, OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!" Kurt pretty much screamed though the offending point of entry. He'd been there for almost an hour, yelling through her door. He was sure that if she didn't open up soon he'd get the cops called on him by one of her neighbors. Suddenly, he heard a couple of clicks, and the door swung open. She looked like shit, was the first thing that crossed Kurt's mind. The second was that her eyes looked dead. Almost like the time she'd been….<p>

"What is this? What's going on here? I get a frantic call from my brother this morning ranting about how you'd kissed him, then pushed him away, then slammed the door in his face! What's going on? I mean I could tell yesterday your whole, I don't love him anymore, tune had changed, but what is with the insane mood swings? Finn is seriously broken up about this!" Kurt ranted. Rachel took him by the arm and dragged him into the house before he could disturb her neighbors anymore. If Kurt had been anyone else he wouldn't have noticed anything off about her apartment. But he was Kurt, and he immediately noticed the glass cup with the gold stars on it that usually sat on the high shelf above the seldom used television was on the coffee table, and it was full of water. Also, the TV was on for once, and it was on some gory movie he vaguely remembered being titled "Zombieland" which was absurd because Rachel almost never watched television for one, and when she did it was only to watch the news, musicals or romantic comedies, or the occasional TV show such as Friends or the one she had guest starred on briefly, whatever it was called. And she made it a point to never watch anything overly gory or violent. But it was the cup that worried him the most. He had learned what it meant when Rachel drank water after being her friend for so many years, and he had also learned that that particular cup had been given to her by her mother, Shelby, and the girl treasured it more than anything else and she would only ever drink out of it if something was really and truly getting her down. And he'd only ever seen her use it twice before.

"Rachel, what's wrong?" he said after she didn't answer his first tirade, leveling off his voice significantly, and fixing her with a worried stare. The small girl plopped down on the couch, gripping her knees to her chest, starring at the television without really watching it as a man with a gun shot yet another mindless infected human corpse.

"I can't let him in." she whispered. Kurt frowned, and sat next to her, placing his hand on her back soothingly. At this moment she looked very fragile, like she could break at any second.

"What do you mean? Are you afraid he'll hurt you? Because honestly I think he's matured to the point where if you do pursue a relationship with him he's smart enough to never let you go again." Kurt said. Rachel shook her head.

"No it's not him. But… the last time I let a man into my life, and loved him with everything I had… he… well you know." Rachel said cryptically, rubbing the back of her neck. Kurt understood immediately.

"Rachel, Finn is not Landon. He'll never be Landon, or anything resembling that bastard. Rachel Barbra Berry, you look at me." he demanded as she looked away, her eyes shining with fresh tears. He said it with such force she had to comply.

"Finn loves you. Really loves you. He moved here because he honestly felt he couldn't live with himself knowing he'd never see you again, or so he's told me. He's content with being just friends if it means he could spend the rest of his life near you. But I can see that you've clearly fallen back in love with him, and I think it would be foolish of you to let this chance pass you up." he said. He could tell that what he was saying was working, as the light in Rachel's eyes began to return.

"You really think I should try it out with him again?" she asked, her voice almost hopeful. Kurt smiled.

"Honey, Finn's a lot of things these days, but if there's one thing he's grown out of it's relationship drama. He's had a few, admittedly, before he got off his lazy ass and followed you here, and from what I've heard they're always the ones to break up with him because he's to devoted. He's not going to break your heart again. If he does I'll personally… have Puck tear his out and give it to you as a replacement, okay? But I must tell you the same goes for you, as he is my brother and taking sides here is not something I can do." Kurt said comfortingly. Rachel gave a small laugh at that. She then got up, took the glass of water and dumping it in the kitchen sink, set it back on its shelf, and turned off the television.

"Thanks Kurt. I think I just needed someone to tell me why I should do it. I'm just so scared after everything with Landon, you know?" Rachel said softly Kurt smiled back at her, slowly steering her towards her room.

"It's understandable Rachel, really. Your concerns wouldn't be completely unfounded, if this were a random guy you'd met and not Finn." Kurt stated. Rachel nodded as he stopped in front of her door.

"Now take a shower and get dressed for a date, you're going on one to apologize to Finn for screwing with his mind." he said, pushing her into the bedroom, closing the door, and holding it there as she tried to reopen it. She was, of course, fairly strong for someone her size due to the training every morning, and Kurt definitely wouldn't be able to hold the door much longer.

"WHAT? You can't just show up here and say, 'Hey, you gotta date with a guy who probably hates you right now for the way you treated him last night! Have fun', it's not your call to make!" she yelled hysterically.

"Finn doesn't hate you; I don't think he could ever find it in him. He's actually worried sick that he's done something to upset you and that you hate him. Now get dressed, you have to be there in a hour." he said calmly through the door. He heard Rachel give out a loud sigh, and her pushing on the door stopped.

"You're not going to leave me alone till I agree to this are you?" she asked. Kurt smiled.

"You know me to well Ms. Berry." he replied. He heard a groan and mutter "fine" before the sound of the shower running could be heard, and she began to hum some tune that sounded vaguely like "If Looks Could Kill" by Heart.

"You don't have to wear a dress or anything, but try to dress nice!" he yelled at her.

"Yeah whatever." he heard in reply.

* * *

><p><strong>The whole reason for Rachel's odd behavior is semi revealed next chapter. So yeah. Anyways, reviews are much loved. I leave for like 2 hours and I came back to find like 8 emails from , so that really cheered me up :D<strong>


	26. Chapter TwentySix: What He's Done

**So here it is, the semi-reveal I guess xD It's honestly not that dramatic. But hopefully you all enjoy it enough. Coming up on the end. this should be finished by tomorrow. Idk if I'll ever get around to that other fic I started cuz I'd like to know where I'm going with it and I don't wanna start it and then not know how to finish. But uh, I guess look out for it possibly.**

**Disclaimer: All their Glee does not belong to us. Us being me.**

**Song: Love The Way You Lie- Eminem ft. Rihanna**

* * *

><p>He felt like you could cut the awkwardness with a butter knife. Rachel poked at her food and had basically refused to look at him the entire meal. He knew he would have to confront her if he was gonna get some sort of explanation for last night. But his tongue was tied. Finn also couldn't deny he was upset. Furious, actually. She'd kissed him, and he couldn't deny there was something in that kiss that didn't feel right; a kind of horrible hunger coming from her that was almost terrifying. But she'd pushed him away and shut him out without any explanation as to why. And he hated being fooled with. <em>Hated<em> it. Finally, with a large gulp he opened his mouth.

"What did you mean?" he asked. Rachel jumped a little at his voice, but still would not look at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked meekly.

"You said 'I can't' last night. What the hell did you mean?" he asked, the anger in his voice palpable. The small woman flinched away from the knife in his voice.

"Do we have to talk about this here?" she whispered. Finn slammed his fist on the table, causing her to jump, a look of genuine fear in her eyes, and her hand landed on the back of her neck. If he'd been in his right mind he'd have noticed her reaction wasn't exactly normal, but he wasn't, he was furious.

"Yes we _do_ have to talk about it here Rachel. Because if we leave this public setting you're going to be able to run away and I'm not about to give you the chance to do that. I deserve answers, now tell me why the _fuck _you kissed me last night, and then threw me out without an explanation." he growled. Rachel's eyes were watery, he noticed then, and a pang of guilt hit him, but he shook it off. He deserved to know.

"Okay. You're right. When I kissed you last night… it was spontaneous, and wrong. I don't know what came over me, but I realized I couldn't be with you like that because…." she began. Finn saw something dark cloud Rachel's eyes, and he suddenly felt bad for forcing her to do this in public with him. Still he had the feeling that if he hadn't they wouldn't be having this conversation at all.

"Because what?" he pressed firmly. He watched as Rachel's eyes took on a haunted look, and became almost dead in appearance.

"You remember that guy I started dating half a year after I moved here, right? Landon? The one that made you stop talking to me?" she said, her voice sounding strained. Finn nodded, unable to say anything now, her eyes were scaring him.

"Well I continued dating him for a really long time. He was kind, and funny, and sweet, and never became frustrated with my busy work life. We dated for 4 years, and he finally proposed. And everything was perfect, and I accepted his proposal, and asked Quinn to plan the wedding. But then… then he started getting weird. He'd yell at me for the most random of reasons, and throw me out of our apartment for long periods of time. He became jealous, and controlling, and finally… he got violent." Finn tensed at the end, his eyes widening. She finally looked up at Finn then, and a few tears were streaming down her face, and his heart broke for her. Her eyes were hollow, not the rich emotional chocolate brown he loved. She gulped down some more wine.

"It started when he hit me because I came home from a show late last night, calling me a slut, accusing me of things I'd never do. It got worse from there, and eventually it escalated to the point where I knew he was beyond redemption. So I broke it off with him, called off the wedding, and wondered why in the name of god I had ever allowed myself to fall in love with him. And why I had even stayed that long. And since then I've never let anyone into my heart. But then you come prancing in. I actually had fallen out of love with you, but then that night you fell asleep on the couch, and seeing you lying there it all came rushing back. And I finally feel that way again, Finn, something I thought I couldn't feel anymore. But it terrifies me because I feel like I'm bearing my soul, and the last time I did that…. Well it just didn't end well." she rambled. By the end she was a mess, with tears streaming down her face. People were starring, so Finn quickly got up and led her out. Kurt had payed for the entire dinner beforehand, so he didn't have to worry about the bill. When they were outside he pulled her into a small alcove, and he wrapped his arms around her small frame, and simply held her there against him as she sobbed into his arms.

"Shhhh, shh it's alright." he whispered comfortingly. His jaw tightened as he thought of what she'd just told him. The idea that some guy had caused her so much pain, and the fact that he could have been there for her 5 years ago when this had happened, but he hadn't been when she'd needed him because he'd been so stupid, just killed him. After she calmed a little he escorted her back to her apartment. When she walked back out of her bedroom in her t-shirt and shorts he bid her goodnight and turned to leave. He tensed considerably when he felt her hand around his wrist. He feared what turning around would lead to after last night. But he didn't have to.

"Don't leave." she whispered. Without turning to look into her eyes, he gritted his teeth.

"Why?" he asked. He didn't mean it as if he didn't want to, he did more than anything. But he only wanted to comfort her, and if she wanted anything more than that he just couldn't stick around.

"I don't think I can be alone with myself tonight." she whispered. Finn closed his eyes. Finally, after a long pause, he nodded, and followed her back to her bedroom. He realized he'd never been in this bedroom before, and smiled at the fact that she still had her walls covered in Broadway posters and paraphernalia. She slowly lied in her bed under the covers, and looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes. He took of his shoes, and slid next to her, wrapping his arm around her. It should have felt awkward, he was still in his fancy date clothing and wouldn't get under the covers, which he actually felt she preferred at this juncture, but he also felt that this wasn't romantic to her. Yes, she had admitted she loved him, and he still loved her with everything he had. But there at that moment, it was about comfort. She needed to be held, because nobody had like that in so long, and he needed to be her rock, the one she knew she could always lean on. And when he felt her relax in his arms he was filled with a warmth he couldn't explain, and he knew he'd forgiven her for screwing with his mind. And as he listened to her even breathing that night when she fell into an easy sleep he couldn't help but feel that this was perfection. And when he fell asleep himself he had the most well rested night he'd ever had in his entire life.

* * *

><p><strong>Kind of want to say aww, but at the same time blech : I have a sort of love/hate relationship with all things romantic. Soooo yeah. I'm all temporarily tired now cuz I took a walk around the perimiter of the golf course :/** **Review please :D**


	27. Chapter TwentySeven: Awakened

**Okay I can't even begin to apologize enough. I am SO sorry I haven't updated, I could say I was to busy, because I have actually been really busy, but the truth is i could have updated if I'd really wanted to. So yeah, no excuses for me. The bad news, this chapter is pitifuly short. The good news? Because I hate myself for not updating when I could have, I'll be uploading the last 4 chapters today. I am warning you beforehand, I suck at ending things, whether it's essays, poems, or stories, doesn't matter I am never happy with my endings. So yeah.**

**Disclaimer: Glee ain't mine :/**

**Song: Arms- Christina Perri**

* * *

><p>When Rachel awoke that morning, the first thing she felt was safe. She shifted a little to stretch before she realized a strong pair of arms were wrapped firmly around her midsection, and when she shifted they tightened around her, holding her closer to Finn's clothed chest. She found herself suddenly blushing. It was all fine and good last night, she'd needed these comforting arms then. Now it was just awkward because he'd healed the part of her that had needed it, and now she was just feeling all those other emotions as she starred at his sleeping face. She wanted so badly to reach up and caress his face….<p>

"Nghfff!" he grumbled in his sleep as her fingers had touched briefly to his scruffy jaw. She immediately drew back, and found his brown eyes staring at her suddenly. He stared at her, then down at her hand, and then at his arms, and finally jolted up, retrieving his arms from around her as he sat up in the bed. Rachel sat up too, slower than him. They found themselves once again in an awkward silence. Finally, after Finn crawled out of the bed, Rachel cleared her throat, making him turn to look at her.

"I'm sorry for breaking down like that last night." she said. Finn shook his head.

"No don't apologize. I understand now. The flinching, the look of fear when anyone male yells at you. It makes sense, and I'm so, so sorry you ever had to experience something like that." he said. Rachel smiled.

"Thanks for staying last night. I don't know what I'd have done if I'd been left to my own devices." she said. Finn smiled, and excused himself from her apartment so he could go home and get changed.

"I'll see you later Rachel. One thing before I go though. Now that we have the whole love thing out in the open… could we maybe try again?" he asked shyly. Rachel smiled, and nodded. She finally felt that if she tried another relationship, especially with this man, she wouldn't have to be afraid anymore.

"Of course, Finn." she said softly, and she wondered just how long he would have that goofy grin on his face as he walked out her door.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay so this last episode kind of blew my mind. I was all over ecstatic when Quinn walked in all back to normal and then she opened her freaking mouth and I was all "Well shit, she's finally gone completely batshit insane" -_- I love Quinn, I do. But sometimes I just wish that the nice part of her would stick around for more than 5 minutes at a time. Really excited Idina Menzel is back on :D And btw, were the previews for the next episode always that dramatic? Cuz they're making it seem like Rachel's gonna do something absolutely TERRIBLE. Which I am NOT for, I mean she finally has friends now so... Anyways next chapter up soonish. Review please :D<strong>


	28. Chapter TwentyEight: One Last Thing

**Only two more chapters left. I feel like I could have done better on this fic. Well hopefully my next one will be better. It's kinda more morbid, but idk I just write better that way I anyhow, enjoy this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine D:**

**Song: What Is Love- Haddaway**

* * *

><p>"You told him everything?" Kurt asked, somewhat surprised. Rachel nodded, but seemed to think for a moment and frowned.<p>

"Well… not everything. But the important things, the change in behavior, the emotional, mental, and physical abuse." Rachel stated. Kurt pursed his lips a bit, like he did every time that man was brought up. Kurt had always had his reservations about really letting Rachel be the friend she'd wanted to be with him, but after the whole Landon fiasco he had realized it wasn't that she wanted him as a friend, she needed him as a friend, because for years she had never had anyone she could genuinely call that except Finn, and they all saw how that had worked out. Quinn had become exceptionally close to the young woman after she had helped the wedding planner book a wedding in the plaza of one of the actual Broadway theatres, but she too had never really let Rachel in until Rachel had been the one in need.

"So what didn't you tell him?" Kurt questioned. Rachel subconsciously tugged at the muffler around her neck.

"I'm sure you know. It's a little hard to talk about." she said, twirling a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail before placing it back behind her ear.

"You don't think he's going to find out?" Kurt asked. Rachel frowned.

"I'm sure he will. And I'll address it then. But until then I'd like to keep it between you, me, Quinn, and the handful of hospital staff that attended to me." Rachel said. Kurt frowned at her unwillingness to flat out tell the man in love with her. He had gotten a job two days after the date Kurt had set up, so he knew Rachel hadn't seen him in about a week now, but he figured if she'd managed to get all the other stuff out in the open then she should with that too. But he knew she couldn't cover it up forever. It was a miracle the media had never found out.

"Okay, but when you do clue him in please be delicate. I don't want him trying to do something drastic." Kurt pleaded. Rachel nodded in agreement, then looked up brightly when the door to the coffee shop rang, signaling another customer. Except it wasn't a customer, it was a Finn. He approached them, grinning.

"Hey Rach, you ready to go?" he asked when he got to their table. The short brunette nodded, standing. Kurt stood also.

"Well I'll let the two lovebirds do their thing. See you around Rachel. I'll be by tomorrow Finn to pick up the wash you're undoubtedly neglecting to do." Kurt said, giving Rachel one last meaningful look before she kissed him on the cheek, and let him move past her to give Finn a one armed hug before exiting the building, the two of them behind him. When he turned for the nearest subway they continued on, crossing the nearest street. He smiled to himself as he watched his brother drape a shoulder protectively over Rachel shoulders. He hadn't seen Finn this happy since he couldn't remember when, and Rachel finally looked like the weight of her horrific experience was being taken from her shoulders. Kurt had every confidence that this relationship was going to work. As he sat on the subway pondered when the wedding would be, what it would be like, and even what they would name their kids. To Kurt these weren't possibilities. The idea that Finn and Rachel would end up together seemed inevitable ever since that kiss at Nationals 11 years ago. How did Finn put it again? "The kiss of the century" or something absurd and completely cheesy like that.

* * *

><p><strong>You know I was watching the first 10 episodes with my best friend last night, cuz we were having a Glee marathon since she hasn't seen most of the first season and I have Netflix, and I kind of came to a conclusion I've been kind of debating for awhile. I'm still an adamant Finchel shipper, I don't think I could ever right her with anyone else. And I know I'll probably be hung by some of you for this, but I think if circumstances had been different that Puckleberry could have actually worked. I myself can only write them as really good friends at most, but I have read some actually really good fics about them, and they don't repulse me. Then again I'll read any fic regardless of pairings if it's written well and has an interesting story. Anywho, next chapter up at 9:30 probably. Review please. :D<strong>


	29. Chapter TwentyNine: The Whole Truth

**I suck at romance. I do. Ugh why do I even try? Whatever, hope you enjoy this I guess. I'm sorry if this leaves you disappointed.**

**Disclaimer: Glee doesn't belong to me.**

**Song: Bang Bang- Cher**

* * *

><p>"I really had a great time Finn." said happily as she unlocked the door to her condo, inviting him in. He followed her in, hovering behind her as she put down her purse and keys on the coffee table. She straightened up to look at him, and he smirked at her.<p>

"What is it Finn? You're staring and it's kinda freaking me out." she said, removing her hair band as she did so, and then her scarf. Finn shifted closer to her after she let her hair down, and reached up, running his hand through it.

"I want to kiss you really bad right now." he whispered. Rachel blushed badly, but stared straight into his eyes, not flinching away from his touch. When she didn't object or anything, he leaned down and kissed her. And it was so much better than the one they'd had over a week ago. It wasn't desperate hunger; there was passion and love behind every second of it. Rachel flung her arms around his neck, dragging herself up further towards him to where her feet almost weren't touching the ground anymore, as he had to lean down quite a bit to kiss her because of their differing statures. He, in response dug his fingers into her hair. He was about to lie down with her on the couch to make it easier for the both of them when he felt something on the back of her neck. It was rough, and completely out of place, and he realized he'd felt skin like this before. He had tons of them on his hands and arms from working on cars and a lot of scrap metal daily. He froze, in the middle of the kiss, his eyes snapping open. Rachel made a strangled sound when she realized he'd stopped, looking at him curiously as she lowered herself back the ground and looked up at him. Then she seemed to realize where his fingers were and she went white.

"Finn it's not anythi-" she tried to say before he could ask questions. Gently, but firmly, he spun her around before she could finish so he was looking at the back of her head. He gently tilted her head forwards. She protested a bit, but didn't struggle as he moved her hair away from the back of her neck. There, starting a little before her hairline ended, to the base of her neck was a white, precise looking scar. It certainly hadn't come from anything like scrap metal.

"Rachel what is this?" he asked calmly, tracing the line of the scar, causing her to shudder slightly. Rachel turned back towards him and fixed him with a stern stare.

"Sit down, Finn." she said quietly, but with such conviction he didn't question it in the slightest. He did what she asked and she sat next to him, her hand on his leg in what seemed like a comforting way.

"I didn't tell you everything about Landon." she said, outright. Finn felt anger immediately bubble inside him at the mere mention of the man's name. He was about to say something when Rachel held up her hand, stopping him.

"You're going to want to talk a lot while I tell you this. You have to promise you won't interrupt." she insisted. She could see he was aggravated by this request, but eventually agreed.

"Okay, good. Now like I said, Landon became violent after I agreed to marry him. It was a sudden thing; he'd never shown any signs of that kind of behavior for the four years we dated. Regardless, he treated me like shit. And I wanted out. After one particularly bad night, I called Quinn, crying, and told her I was calling off the wedding. She told me she'd be right over from New Jersey, and to not say anything to Landon before she got there. Unfortunately for me he had listened in on the conversation on our other landline. So he approached me later that night, confronting me about my sudden idea I could 'escape' from him. I told him if he tried anything that night I'd go to the police and report him, and I would have Quinn as my witness. And that's when he came at me with a kitchen knife…" she said. The further she got into her story the more horrified Finn's expression became, and when she mentioned the knife his knuckles turned white. But Rachel wasn't done, so he stayed quiet.

"I tried to fight him off, I did. But eventually I realized fighting him off would be foolish. So I ran for it. Unfortunately he's a great track runner, and he caught up with me, and well…. I lost a lot of blood, it hit my external jugular vein, but Quinn got their not even a minute afterwards and saw him fleeing with the bloody knife. I was hospitalized for quite awhile, and ever since I've had an extreme aversion to most men. Apparently if I hadn't been found when I was I'd have died from exsanguination pretty easily. I'm also very lucky he didn't damage my spinal cord." she finished in a whisper. Finn was horrified. The girl in front of him had almost been the victim of a violent murder. He stood, suddenly, shaking in rage.

"Where is that bastard? I'm gonna kill him! He needs to die!" he roared. He felt Rachel's gentle hand grip his wrist firmly.

"Finn he's still in jail for the next 20 years." Rachel said quietly. This did help Finn with the horrible idea that the man would try to get revenge someday. But it did nothing for his rage. He plopped back down on the couch angrily.

"He still deserves death. Don't you think after that he should be sentenced to death?" he growled at her, needing her to back him up on this. But he had forgotten, this was Rachel Berry. The all forgiving Rachel Berry. She gently placed a hand on his cheek and turned his head so he was looking directly into her eyes. They weren't sad, or hollow, or angry. They were full of compassion.

"No, Finn. I don't think he deserves to die. I admit I had been hoping that attempted murder would be punishable with life in prison with no chance of parole, but apparently the highest sentence for that in this state is 25 years. So I can only pray that he gets the help he needs while he's there, and maybe by the time he's released, he'll be back to the kind, loving Landon I used to know. Not that it will matter either way, I've moved on from him…. finally." she said soothingly, rubbing her thumb along his tense jaw. Eventually he slowly unclenched it as he continued to stare at her. Here she was, almost murdered, and yet she still prayed the man who'd tried to kill her would get better. Finn just couldn't get her. But he respected that she would never wish death on anyone, and eventually relaxed, especially after Rachel turned him so he was facing the other way, removed his shirt, and began giving him a fantastic massage. He sighed into her hands as she worked the knots out of his back.

"Why didn't you tell me this the other night?" he asked, slightly curious. Rachel dug her elbow into his back then, and he arched it a bit.

"I don't know Finn, how would you go about telling someone you were almost killed? Plus, I think that night when you held me; you lifted the weight of everything from me, including this. I just didn't feel it was necessary. I was not trying to hide it from you however, the scarves and stuff are for when I want to wear my hair up. The media would have a field day if they saw it and all." she said, getting a little defensive towards the end. Finn shrugged as she worked the massage down to the lower part of his back.

"Yeah I can understand that. Well thank you for being honest with me." he said, Rachel smiled, and put a small kiss on his shoulder blade, before he turned his body and caught her in another kiss.

"Finn?" she asked in between kisses.

"Yes?" he breathed.

"Do you think this is going to last forever?" she whispered, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. Finn smiled through his next kiss.

"There's no doubt in my mind." he whispered.

* * *

><p><strong>Ugh... Just ugh. I can't write straight romance. Probably because I hate it in real life... Whatever, definetley going to not try a straight romance again. I can do other genres with romance interlaced into it just fine but straight romance I just can't... Hope you enjoy it despite. the last chapter i actually just rewrote today. Originally it was gonna be Mike and Tina, but then I decided to rewrite to Shelby and Beth after Quinn's line at the end of the last episode. The sad thing is, in America it's very easy for the original parents to regain custody over their child that was adopted. So if Quinn plays her diabolical cards right there's a very good chance Shelby's going to lose her second daughter D: Hopefully Ryan Murphy doesn't do that. I mean how the hell is Quinn gonna raise a kid? Anyways, enough of my rambling. Last chapter will be up after I take my Government quiz. Review please :D<strong>


	30. Chapter Thirty: The Happy Ending

**So here's the last chapter. i told myself I wasn't gonna end with some cliche ending like them getting married and yet . Whatever, how the hell else could I end it. yay happy fluffy stuff all around! -_- Anyways, enjoy. I suck at writing kids. I hate them.**

**Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.**

**Song: As Long As Your Mine- Wicked**

* * *

><p>"Hey mom there's a letter from Rachel here for you!" the 12 year old called from the front of the house. Shelby got up from the piano and moved towards the entrance hall, curious.<p>

"Oh yeah? Any idea what it could be for?" Shelby asked her adopted daughter. The blonde girl looked up from examining the small envelope and shrugged.

"Dunno, it looks kinda fancy though." Beth said, handing the envelope to her mom, starring at her to open it, curious as to why her adopted sister would be writing considering she usually called or sent emails instead. Shelby looked at the envelope, starring at the gold scrawling calligraphy, lifting her eyebrow. Slowly she opened it, and Beth noticed her mom bite her lip. She wondered if maybe she knew what this is about. Shelby pulled out the small card inside and slowly read its contents. Beth looked on in concern as tears sprang to her mother's eyes, but then noticed that there was also a large smile on her face.

"What is it ma? Why're you crying?" the girl asked, tugging on her mom's shirt and trying to jump to see over her mom's shoulder.

"Your sister's getting married." the woman chocked out. Beth stopped jumping for 5 seconds, only to let out an excited squeal.

"No way! To who? Please tell me it's nit that Landon guy, he gave me the creeps." Beth said. Shelby smiled, shaking her head.

"Here I'll read it to you. _You are cordially invited to the wedding of Rachel Barbra Berry and Finn Allen Hudson on Saturday, December the 13__th__, at twelve o'clock_ _240 West 47th Street, nr. Broadway followed by a reception._" Shelby read loudly. Beth grabbed the note from her mother, reading it over herself.

"Who's this Finn guy?" Beth asked. Shelby laughed, forgetting Rachel had never told Beth about her high school relationship with the boy on one of the occasions that she visited her mom and little sister. She checked the envelope to find a small written letter along with the invitation.

"A young man your sister dated in high school. According to this he approached her a year over a year ago to make amends with her, and they've been dating again ever since." Shelby said, handing the small letter to Beth as the girl reached up to grab it too.

"It says she wants me to be the ring bearer!" the 12 year old exclaimed happily. Shelby smiled, ruffling the girl's hair.

"I guess we'll have to go dress shopping soon. And I suppose I'll have to ask for some vacation time." the woman said, moving back into the living room, her daughter trailing behind.

"Ooooh I'm so excited! You gotta tell me all about this guy mom!" the girl said, plopping down on the couch next to her mother. The woman sighed. She was ecstatic for her daughter. And honestly not surprised at all. She'd seen her daughter with Finn in her senior year of high school, and she had known then that there was something strong between the two, stronger than what she saw between most adult couples. So as she pondered what to wear to her daughter's wedding she settled in to tell her younger daughter all she knew about the man her elder daughter had fallen for so long ago.

* * *

><p><strong>So yeah. we've reached the end and I still hate the ending. Someday I'll come back and reread this and decide to rewrite it probably. Whatever I hope YOU all enjoyed cuz that's what's important here, not my opinion but YOURS because I criticize myself on EVERYTHING. Anyways, next fic I'm writing out involves lots of angst due to my brutally crippling a certain character. Not crippling as in making them paraplegic or something, but in a completely different way. We'll see how it goes. I'm trying to make it scientifically possible but it's a little hard because you never know how a heeling process for something like that would go and blah blah all depends on the person. So glad my mom's a nurse and not me... Anywho if you liked it, review. If you hated it, review. If you mildly enjoyed it but found glaring flaws, review. See you some time in the probably distant future :P<strong>


End file.
